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Research Communication

Dietary ß-Carotene Is Taken up by Blood Plasma and Leukocytes in Dogs¹

Boon P. Chew^*,2, Jean Soon Park^*, Brian C. Weng^*, Teri S. Wong^*, Michael G. Hayek and Gregory A. Reinhart

^* Department of Animal Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington and The Iams Company, Lewisburg, Ohio, 45338

ß-Carotene uptake by blood plasma and leukocytes was studied in mature beagle dogs. In expt. 1, dogs were fed once orally with 0, 50, 100 or 200 mg of ß-carotene and their blood was sampled at 0, 1.5, 3, 6, 10, 18 and 24 h. Plasma ß-carotene concentrations increased dose-dependently to peak at 6 h postfeeding. Concentrations decreased rapidly thereafter, showing a half-life of 3 to 4 h. In expt. 2, dogs were given daily doses for seven consecutive days with 0, 12.5, 25, 50 or 100 mg ß-carotene. Plasma ß-carotene concentrations increased dose-dependently; concentrations after the last dose were two- to fourfold higher than after the first dose. In expt. 3, dogs were fed 0, 50 or 100 mg ß-carotene daily for 30 d. ß-Carotene was elevated in lymphocytes and neutrophils in supplemented dogs. Furthermore, ß-carotene was taken up by the cytosol, mitochondria, microsomes (lymphocytes and neutrophils) and nuclei (lymphocytes only), proving that dogs can absorb ß-carotene. ß-Carotene is taken up by subcellular organelles of blood lymphocytes and neutrophils and in the plasma and leukocytes ß-carotene may have physiological importance as it relates to immunity in dogs. Uptake kinetics indicated that dogs are not an appropriate animal model for studying ß-carotene absorption and metabolism in humans.

KEY WORDS: • ß-carotene • uptake • canine • plasma • leukocytes

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