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Diurnal and Menstrual Cycle Variations in Serum Vitamin B-12 and Folacin Activity in Baboons^1,2,

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and The Nutrition Program, The University of Alabama Medical Center, Birmingham, Alabama 35294

Serum levels of vitamin B-12 and folacin were determined every 6 hours over a 24-hour period in five baboons and every other day throughout complete menstrual cycles in seven baboons. All baboons were normally cycling females exhibiting serum estrogen, progestin, and luteinizing hormone levels during the follicular, ovulatory and, luteal phases, respectively, of their menstrual cycles of 217.9 ± 115.6, 420.3 ± 113.9, 207.3 ± 88.6 pg/ml; 1.71 ± 0.84, 2.72 ± 1.50, 5.92 ± 4.38 ng/ml; 2.85 ± 2.3, 38.4 ± 20.5, 6.0 ± 6.6 mg/ml. Serum vitamin B-12 levels did not vary significantly over a 24-hour period although higher mean levels were observed at 1200 and 1800 hours, whereas the lowest mean levels were observed at 2400 and 0600 hours. Folacin activity varied significantly (P < 0.01) over a 24-hour period with the mean level at 1800 hours significantly higher (P < 0.01) than that at all other times. The overall means and standard deviations for vitamin B-12 and folacin, respectively, during this study were 742.2 ± 785.6 pg/ml and 14.48 ± 6.74 ng/ml. Serum levels of vitamin B-12 and folacin did not vary significantly between the follicular or luteal phases or show any significant correlation with the day of the menstrual cycle when analyzed by linear regression procedures. The overall means and standard deviations for vitamin B-12 and folacin, respectively, during the menstrual cycle study were 438.5 ± 137.9 pg/ml and 14.8 ± 4.27 ng/ml.

KEY WORDS: • vitamin B-12 • folacin • circadian rhythm • menstrual cycle • baboon

¹ Presented in part at the meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology in Atlantic City, N.J., April, 1974. Cornwell, P. E., Boots, L. R. & Beck, L. R. (1974) The baboon as a model for human reproduction: nutritional parameters. Federation Proc. 33, 658. (Abstr.)

² Supported in part by Rockefeller Foundation Grant no. FR-70097.

³ The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

⁴ The Nutrition Program.

Manuscript received 21 October 1974.