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Nutrient Interactions and Toxicity
Research Communication

Reproductive Defects Are Corrected in Vitamin D–Deficient Female Rats Fed a High Calcium, Phosphorus and Lactose Diet¹

Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706

²To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: deluca{at}biochem.wisc.edu.

Vitamin D–deficient female rats are capable of reproduction; however, vitamin D deficiency reduces their overall reproductive capacity. It was previously suggested that the reduction in reproductive performance is a direct result of a lack of vitamin D rather than an effect of the hypocalcemia or hypophosphatemia that can be associated with vitamin D deficiency. In the present study, rats were fed one of three diets: 1) 0.47% Ca⁺² and 0.3% phosphorus (P_i) with vitamin D; 2) 0.47% Ca⁺² and 0.3% P_i without vitamin D; and 3) 20% lactose, 2% Ca⁺² and 1.25% P_i without vitamin D. Their reproductive capacity was monitored. Vitamin D–deficient rats fed the high calcium, high phosphorus, 20% lactose diet had normal serum calcium (2.2 ± 0.16 mmol/L), slightly lower phosphorus (1.5 ± 0.3 mmol/L), and undetectable 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃. The decrease in reproductive capacity, as indicated by the fertility ratio and pup number per litter previously seen in vitamin D–deficient rats was completely corrected when serum calcium and phosphorus levels were normalized relative to vitamin D–replete rats. It appears likely that the diminished reproductive performance attributed to vitamin D deficiency is the result of hypocalcemia and/or hypophosphatemia caused by vitamin D deficiency.

KEY WORDS: • vitamin D and reproduction • calcium and reproduction • vitamin D receptor • vitamin D deficiency • rats

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