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Journal of Nutrition Vol. 87 No. 2 October 1965, pp. 155-160
Copyright © 1965 by American Society for Nutrition
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Antagonism between Vitamins A and K in the Germfree Rat1

Bernard S. Wostmann and P. Leonard Knight2

Lobund Laboratory, Department of Biology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana

Weanling germfree male rats were fed a semi-purified diet complete except for being free of vitamin K and containing only approximately 0.4 IU of vitamin A activity/g. Vitamins A and K1 were administered separately, vitamin A to the amount of zero, 5, 50, 200 and 2000 IU/day, and vitamin K first at a level of 2 µg/day, later to the amount of 0.5 µg/day. A daily intake of 0.5 µg/day allowed only a limited lifespan before the rats died with all the symptoms of the hemorrhagic syndrome typical of a vitamin K deficiency. Compared with the survival time observed with vitamin A intakes usually considered adequate, lifespan was shortened by a daily intake of 2000 IU/day, possibly shortened at an intake level of 200 IU, and definitely prolonged without vitamin A supplementation. This last group of rats demonstrated reduced growth associated with the low vitamin A intake, presumably leading to a lower requirement for vitamin K. It was concluded that in the usual range of vitamin A intake for germfree rats fed the diets commonly used in germfree experimentation, no effect of vitamin A intake upon vitamin K requirement is demonstrable. When vitamin A intake exceeded the optimum by a factor of 10 or more, an antagonism between vitamins A and K became apparent.

1 These studies were supported by a grant from the Nutrition Foundation and by general support from the National Institutes of Health and from the University of Notre Dame.

2 St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana.

Manuscript received 5 February 1965.




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