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Nutrient Requirements and Optimal Nutrition

Vitamin A Concentrations in Piglet Extrahepatic Tissues Respond Differently Ten Days after Vitamin A Treatment^1,2

Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: sherry{at}nutrisci.wisc.edu.

Periodic supplementation to infants and young children is encouraged in developing countries by the WHO. We investigated vitamin A (VA) in extrahepatic tissues of piglets after supplementation with retinyl acetate to determine long-term storage. 3, 4-Didehydroretinyl acetate (DRA) as a tracer was used to evaluate uptake from chylomicra in 4 h. Sows were fed a VA-depleted diet throughout pregnancy and lactation. Male castrated piglets (n = 28, 11.6 ± 0.5 d) from these sows were weaned onto a VA-free diet for 1 wk, assigned to 4 groups, and dosed orally with 0, 26.2, 52.4, or 105 µmol VA. After 10 d, 5.3 µmol DRA was administered to determine short-term uptake of 3, 4-didehydroretinol (DR). Four hours later, piglets were killed; adrenal glands, kidney, lung, and spleen were collected and analyzed for retinol and DR. Retinol concentrations of kidney and adrenal gland were higher than control, but treated groups did not differ. Retinol concentration was highest in kidney (1.70–2.52 nmol/g), followed by adrenal gland (0.30–0.48 nmol/g), lung (0.15–0.21 nmol/g), and spleen (0.11–0.15 nmol/g). Total retinol in kidney and spleen was different among the groups (P < 0.05). Unesterified retinol was the major VA form; the percent retinol of total VA was lowest in adrenal glands. DR did not differ among the groups. In 4 h, the minimum estimated chylomicron contribution to tissue DR was 63–280% higher than the maximum DR exposure from retinol-binding protein. Constant dietary intake may be important in maintaining VA concentrations in extrahepatic tissues.