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Alterations in Vitamin A Metabolism During Zinc Deficiency and Food and Growth Restriction^1,2,

Trace Element Research Laboratory, Veterans Administration Hospital, Washington, D.C. 20422, and Laboratory of Nutrition and Endocrinology, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20014

The purpose of these experiments was to further elucidate the effect of the trace element, zinc, on vitamin A metabolism. Three experiments were conducted at two different locations using different sources of animals. A total of 95 rats were used; 71 specific pathogen free and 24 germfree. The results indicate that plasma vitamin A is depressed in zinc deficient animals or animals severely restricted in food and growth. Liver stores of vitamin A were adequate in both groups. Thus, the normal mechanism for maintaining plasma vitamin A appears to be altered by either zinc deficiency and/or severe food and growth restriction.

KEY WORDS: • zinc • vitamin A

¹ Some of these data were presented at the Fifty-Ninth Annual Meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Atlantic City. New Jersey, April 13–18, 1975 and at the Fifth International Symposium on Gnotobiology, Stockholm. Sweden, June 9–12, 1975.

² Animals were maintained in animal care facilities accredited by the American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care.

Manuscript received 30 July 1975.