The Mongolian Gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) Is an Appropriate Animal Model for Evaluation of the Conversion of -Carotene to Vitamin A

Manuscript received 21 April 1997. Initial reviews completed 19 June 1997. Revision accepted 20 October 1997.

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

Vitamin A (VA) deficiency is the leading cause of blindness in children in developing countries. Dietary intervention with foods rich in provitamin A carotenoids, such as -carotene (C), has been suggested as one solution to this problem. The objective of the two studies described in this paper was to examine the utilization of C as a source of VA at different stages of VA depletion using the Mongolian gerbil as a model. Male 4- to 5-wk-old Mongolian gerbils were fed powdered C-free semipurified diets either with or without VA for 26 d (Study 1), or without VA for 8-10 wk (Study 2). Gerbils were then fed diets with or without VA (20.9 nmol/g diet) and/or C [(67.0 µmol/g diet (Study 1) and 145.9 µmol/g diet (Study 2)] for variable periods. Two (Study 1) or three (Study 2) days before termination of the study, 3-4 gerbils per group were dosed orally with ¹⁴CC. Tissues were evaluated for VA and C content by HPLC. Liver was extracted with and without saponification to evaluate ¹⁴CC and ¹⁴CVA content. The results demonstrate the following: 1) the gerbil is an appropriate animal model to study C utilization; 2) 20.9 nmol VA/g diet is more than sufficient for this species; 3) the daily VA utilization rate for this species is calculated to be 3.1 µg/100 g body weight; 4) a highly bioavailable source of C at a 6:1 weight ratio of C:VA is sufficient to reverse marginal VA status in this model; and 5) a highly bioavailable source of C fed between a 6:1 and 13:1 weight ratio to VA provides equivalent VA status as preformed VA in Mongolian gerbils.

The Journal of Nutrition Vol. 128 No. 2 February 1998, pp. 280-286
Copyright ©1998 by the American Society for Nutritional Sciences

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