QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (Publish Ahead of Print[PDF]) All Versions of this Article: 139/4/696    most recent jn.108.102988v2 jn.108.102988v1 Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ghenimi Rahab, N. Articles by Gallis, J.-L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Ghenimi Rahab, N. Articles by Gallis, J.-L.

---

Nutrition and Disease

Vitamin A Deficiency in Rats Induces Anatomic and Metabolic Changes Comparable with Those of Neurodegenerative Disorders¹

² Centre de Résonance Magnétique des Systèmes Biologiques, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5536 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique-Université Bordenamex, F-33076 Bordenamex Cedex, France ³ Unité de Nutrition et Neurosciences-Institut des Sciences et Techniques des Aliments de Boredenamex, Université Bordenamex, F-33400 Talence, France

Anatomic and metabolic changes in central nervous system induced by 14 wk of vitamin A deprivation (VAD) were monitored and quantified in rats. In vivo brain magnetic resonance imaging (4.7T) was performed at 5, 7, 9, 11, and 14 wk of each diet after weaning in the following: 1) VAD group; 2) control pair-fed group; and 3) control group that consumed the diet ad libitum (1.15 µg retinol/g diet). After 14 wk, high-resolution magic angle spinning proton NMR spectroscopy (11.7T) was performed on small samples of cortex, hippocampus, and striatum. Serum retinol concentrations remained stable and cerebral volume (CV) increased as a linear function of body weight in the ad libitum group (R² = 0.78; P = 0.047) and pair-fed controls (R² = 0.78; P = 0.046). In VAD rats, retinol decreased from the onset of deprivation (2.2 ± 0.14 µmol/L) to reach 0.3 ± 0.13 µmol/L at wk 5, followed by a stopping of body weight gain from wk 7. In VAD rats, the CV decreased from wk 5 and reached a value 11% lower than that of the control group (P < 0.001) at wk 14 and was correlated with retinol status (R² = 0.99; P = 0.002). The VAD hippocampal volume decreased beginning at wk 9 and was 22% lower than that of the control group at wk 14 (P < 0.001). Compared with the control, VAD led to lower N acetyl aspartate:creatine+phosphocreatine (Cr) in cortex (–36%), striatum (–22%), and hippocampus (–19%) and higher myoinositol:Cr in cortex (+127%) and striatum (+150%). VAD induced anatomic and metabolic changes comparable to those associated with neurodegenerative disorders. By wk 7 of deprivation, the slowing in cerebral growth that correlated with the retinol level could be considered as a predictive marker of brain disorders, confirmed by metabolic data from VAD rats after 14 wk.

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jean.louis.gallis{at}free.fr.

Manuscript received 1 December 2008. Initial review completed 3 December 2008. Revision accepted 13 January 2009.