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 HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Gugger, E. T. Articles by Erdman, J. W. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Gugger, E. T. Articles by Erdman, J. W., Jr.

ß-Carotene Uptake and Tissue Distribution in Ferrets (Mustela putorius furo)¹

Eric T. Gugger^*, Tiffany L. Bierer^*, Tonja M. Henze, Wendy S. White and John W. Erdman, Jr.^*,

^* Department of Food Science and Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801

Ferrets accumulate ß-carotene in liver and adipose tissue after chronic feeding. This study was designed to further evaluate the time course of uptake and depletion of ß-carotene in ferret serum and tissues. Male ferrets (n = 15; 1000–1200 g) were given a single dose of ß-carotene (10 mg/kg body wt) with a meal. Animals were killed at various time points over an 11-d period. Blood and tissue samples were extracted and analyzed for ß-carotene by HPLC. Peak serum ß-carotene levels (0.68 ± 0.18 µmol/L) were observed 8 h after the test meal. ß-Carotene was essentially cleared from the blood by 76 h. Peak ß-carotene concentrations (nmol/g) were observed between 8 and 16 h after ingestion for liver (1.20 ± 0.04), lung (0.042 ± 0.012), iddney (0.090 ± 0.015) and spleen (0.076 ± 0.012). Ferret liver also seemed to contain a variety of other polar and nonpolar carotenoids. Ferrets were shown to absorb ß-carotene from a meal and have a consistent serum response pattern. Absorbed ß-carotene is differentially distributed in a variety of tissues. The ferret seems to be a useful model for the study of ß-carotene absorption and metabolism.

KEY WORDS: • ß-carotene • ferrets • vitamin A • absorption

¹ Supported by Cooperative State Research Service-U.S. Department of Agriculture under agreement #89-37200-4452.

Manuscript received 11 March 1991. Revision accepted 18 June 1991.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				Y. Kim, N. Chongviriyaphan, C. Liu, R. M. Russell, and X.-D. Wang Combined antioxidant ({beta}-carotene, {alpha}-tocopherol and ascorbic acid) supplementation increases the levels of lung retinoic acid and inhibits the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase in the ferret lung cancer model Carcinogenesis, July 1, 2006; 27(7): 1410 - 1419. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]