QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Corey, J. E. Articles by Hayes, K. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Corey, J. E. Articles by Hayes, K. C.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Pressure, Growth, and Hematology in Relation to Retinol Status of the Rat in Acute Vitamin A Deficiency¹

Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115

In order to produce a model with which to isolate the primary changes associated with vitamin A deficiency in the weanling rat, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure, body weight gain, and hematologic responses were characterized in two experiments. In experiment 1, 35 weanling male rats were fed graded intakes of vitamin A for a 5-week comparison method. It was predicted on the basis of linear regressions that the CSF pressure should be the most sensitive of the three parameters to marginal vitamin A intake. To establish this sensitivity of the CSF pressure elevation in temporal terms during the onset of acute deficiency, 48 weanling male rats were either fed ad libitum a vitamin A-free basal diet or the basal diet supplemented with vitamin A or pair-fed the control diet. The three parameters described above were measured during the 15 days critical to the development of deficiency. The data indicate that the rise in CSF pressure in acute deficiency was not as sensitive to the onset of deficiency as had been predicted on the basis of marginal or chronic deficiency. These studies suggest that an acute deficiency does not allow sufficient time for the elevation of the CSF pressure due to an abrupt and disruptive metabolic imbalance apparently involving water. The implications of using a study of acute or chronic vitamin A deficiency as a model for experimental investigation are discussed.

KEY WORDS: • vitamin A deficiency • cerebrospinal fluid pressure • hemo concentration

¹ Supported in part by Public Health Service Research Grants GM-00333 and EY-00631 and the Fund for Research and Teaching, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health.

Manuscript received 3 May 1972.