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 Reibel, D. K. Articles by Neely, J. R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Reibel, D. K. Articles by Neely, J. R.

Coenzyme a Metabolism in Pantothenic Acid-Deficient Rats¹

Department of Physiology, The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, The Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA 17033

The pantothenic acid (PA) and coenzyme A (CoA) content of various organs of rats maintained on a PA-deficient diet were determined. The PA content of heart, kidney, gastrocnemius and testes of rats fed the PA-deficient diet was reduced by greater than 90%, and liver PA was reduced by 70%. However, these low PA levels were sufficient to maintain tissue CoA at control levels. Although CoA levels were maintained, the PA-deficient rats did not grow at normal rates suggesting that low PA may effect growth rate by mechanisms other than by depressed CoA. PA-deficient rats were subjected to fasting and alloxan-diabetes to determine if increased CoA synthesis occurred as in normal animals. Both fasting and diabetes resulted in elevations in myocardial and liver CoA, which were comparable in rats fed a PA-deficient diet or a regular diet. The source of the PA used for the increase in tissue CoA in PA-deficient rats has yet to be determined.

KEY WORDS: • pantothenic acid deficiency • coenzyme A • diabetes • fasting • heart • liver

¹ This work was supported by NIH grants HL-13028 and HL-20484.

² Present address: Department of Physiology, Thomas Jefferson University, College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA.

Manuscript received 12 October 1981.