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Connective Tissue Integrity is Lost in Vitamin B-6—Deficient Chicks^1,2,

Priscille G. Massé³, Mitsuo Yamauchi^*, James D. Mahuren, Stephen P. Coburn, Ofelia E. Muniz^** and David S. Howell^**

Ecole de Nutrition et Etudes Familiales, Université de Moncton, Moncton, New Brunswick, CanadaE1A 3E9; ^* Dental Research Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7455; Biochemistry Department, Fort Wayne State Development Center, Fort Wayne, IN 46835; and ^** VA Medical Center and University of Miami School of Medicine, Department of Medicine (D26), Miami, FL 33101

The objective of the present investigation was to characterize further the connective tissue disorder produced by pyridoxine (vitamin B-6) deficiency, as previously evidenced by electron microscopy. Following the second post-natal week, fast growing male chicks were deprived of pyridoxine for a 1-mo period. Six weeks post-natally, blood concentrations in the experimental deficiency group had declined to deficiency levels as registered by low concentrations of pyridoxal phosphate (coenzyme form) in erythrocytes, but did not reach levels associated with neurological symptoms. Light microscopic study showed abnormalities in the extracellular matrix of the connective tissues. Collagen cross-links and the aldehyde contents were not significantly lower in cartilage and tendon collagens of vitamin B-6—deficient animals than in age-matched controls; also, their proteoglycan degrading protease and collagenase activities measured in articular cartilages were not greater. Thus, proteolysis was an unlikely alternative mechanism to account for the loss of connective tissue integrity. These results point to the need for further investigation into adhesive properties of collagen associated proteoglycans or other proteins in vitamin B-6—deficient connective tissue.

KEY WORDS: • pyridoxine • collagen • chicks • connective tissue • proteases • lysyl oxidase

¹ Support was provided in part by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, OGPIN 030, the GRECC, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Institutes of Health, AR-08662 and NASA grant NA GW-3946.

² The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 USC section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

³ To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Manuscript received 10 December 1993. Revision accepted 27 June 1994.