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Response of B-6 Vitamers in Plasma, Erythrocytes and Tissues to Vitamin B-6 Depletion and Repletion in the Rat¹

Western Human Nutrition Research Center, Nutrient Intake and Performance Unit, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Presidio of San Francisco, CA 94129

We determined the response patterns of B-6 vitamers in blood and tissues to vitamin B-6 depletion and repletion. B-6 vitamers were measured in plasma, erythrocytes, liver, muscle, iddney, heart, brain, spleen and lung by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography in male rats pair-fed control or vitamin B-6—deficient diets for 2 or 4 wk, or for 4 wk followed by 1 wk of repletion with the control diet (n = 4/group). Food intake (15.6 ± 0.3 g/d, mean ± SEM; n = 28) and body weight (190 ± 2 and 290 ± 5 g at wk 0 and 5, respectively; n = 28) of control groups were not different from those of deficient groups throughout the study. After 2 wk of vitamin B-6 depletion, tissue concentrations of pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) and pyridoxamine phosphate (PMP) were about 50% and 10–40% lower, respectively, in the deficient than in the control group (except for spleen PMP); in plasma and erythrocytes, PLP and pyridoxal concentrations were about 90% lower in the deficient group. Differences in vitamer concentrations between control and deficient groups were not larger after 4 wk of depletion than after 2 wk. Vitamer concentrations in plasma, erythrocytes and all tissues returned to control levels after 1 wk of repletion with the control diet. These results demonstrate that B-6 vitamers in blood and tissues of the rat respond quickly and reversibly to changes in dietary vitamin B-6, with larger percentage changes occurring in plasma and erythrocytes than in tissues.

KEY WORDS: • vitamin B-6 • vitamers • depletion • repletion • plasma • erythrocytes • tissues • high performance liquid chromatography • male rats

¹ A preliminary report of this work was presented at the 71st annual meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology held in Washington, D.C., April 2, 1987 [Sampson D. A. & O'Connor, D. K. (1987) Response of B₆ vitamers in plasma, erythrocytes and liver of rats to vitamin B₆ depletion and repletion. Fed. Proc. 46: 1487 (abs. #6832)].

² Present address: Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO 80523.

Manuscript received 21 February 1989. Revision accepted 14 June 1989.