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Vitamin A-Deficient Rats have Only Mild Changes in Jejunal Structure and Function^1,2,

Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia 2308 ^* Department of Paediatrics, John Hunter Hospital, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia 2305

This study investigated the effect of clinical and subclinical vitamin A deficiency on intestinal structure and function in rats. Weanling male rats fed a vitamin A-deficient diet (VA-) for 40–42 or 60–63 d were compared with rats either pair-fed (PF) or with free access to the same diet supplemented with vitamin A (VA+). A reference (REF) group was fed a standard rat diet. Weight began to plateau in VA- rats after 42 d, becoming significantly different from PF rats at 60–63 d (P < 0.02). Diarrhea did not develop in any study group. VA- rats had clinical signs of vitamin A deficiency in the 60–63 d study, but not in the 40–42 d study. However, serum and liver retinol concentrations were negligible in all VA- rats. VA- rats in the 60–63 d study had significantly reduced villus height (P < 0.02), and sucrase and maltase activities (P < 0.02) compared with PF rats. There were no differences between VA- and PF rats in mucosal wet weights, protein and DNA concentrations, thymidine kinase activity and glucose transport. No differences were detected in the 40–42 d study for any variable measured. Because clinical vitamin A deficiency in rats causes only mild changes in intestinal structure and function, it is unlikely that these alterations alone are responsible for the interactions observed in epidemiological studies between vitamin A deficiency and diarrheal disease.

KEY WORDS: • vitamin A deficiency • diarrhea • rats • jejunal structure and function

¹ Supported in part by grants from Research Management Committee, The University of Newcastle, and the John Hunter Hospital Staff Specialists Charitable Trust. Rovimix A500W was a gift from Roche, Australia.

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 at Department of Gastroenterology, The New Children's Hospital, PO Box 3515 Parramatta, NSW, Australia 2124.

Manuscript received 31 October 1995. Revision accepted 11 March 1996.