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A Marginal Vitamin A Status Alters the Distribution of Vitamin A among Parenchymal and Stellate Cells in Rat Liver^1,2,

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011

The aim of this study was to determine whether the distribution of vitamin A between parenchymal and stellate cells in rats with low vitamin A liver reserves is different from that observed in rats with adequate reserves. Retinol and retinyl esters were quantitated in parenchymal and stellate cells of the livers of three groups (n=3) of adult Sprague-Dawley rats with mean total liver vitamin A reserves of 1.2, 14.5 and 28.9 µg retinol/g fresh liver for groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The amount of vitamin A per 10⁶ cells was similar in parenchymal and stellate cells of group 1, whereas in groups 2 and 3, a much higher amount was found in stellate cells (11-fold and 27-fold higher, respectively). In group 1, 83% of the liver vitamin A was present in parenchymal cells. As liver stores rose, however, a progressively greater amount was stored in stellate cells. In group 3, 82% of the liver vitamin A was found in stellate cells. In groups 2 and 3, 87–91% of the vitamin A was found as retinyl ester, whereas in group 1, 52% was found as retinol. The retinyl ester composition was similar in parenchymal and stellate cells, major esters being palmitate (84%) and stearate (10%), with smaller amounts of oleate (2.5%) and other esters. Thus, in rats with low liver vitamin A reserves, most of the liver vitamin A is found in parenchymal cells.

KEY WORDS: • vitamin A • parenchymal cells • stellate cells • retinol • retinyl esters

¹ Journal Paper No. J-12419 of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, Ames, IA; Project No. 2534.

² Supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (AM-32793) and from the SEA, USDA (84-CRCR-1-1418).

³ To whom reprint requests should be addressed.

Manuscript received 23 September 1986. Revision accepted 23 December 1986.

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