Role of Vitamin A in the Absorption, Retention and Distribution of Iron in the Rat

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Abstract
The effects of vitamin A deficiency on the absorption, retention and distribution of 59Fe were studied in Sprague-Dawley rats. By means of whole-body counting, organ counting (liver and spleen) and measurement of fecal radioactivity, data were collected daily for periods of 6 or more days following 90 days of vitamin A depletion. No significant difference in 59Fe absorption was observed between group 1, control (6,500 IU vitamin A/kg diet), and group 2, vitamin A-deficient rats fed ad libitum. Group 3, pair-fed control rats, whose food intake was restricted to that of the deficient group, absorbed and retained less 59Fe than either group 1 or group 2. In a second experiment, iron turnover and red cell incorporation of 59Fe were investigated in young adult rats following 125 days of vitamin A depletion or supplementation. Changes in plasma and blood volumes and tissue distribution of the isotope were determined. The values were obtained after intravenous administration of 10 μCi of 59Fe/100 g body weight. At the end of the experiment the animals were killed and the isotope concentration in different tissues was determined. There were no differences between the vitamin A supplemented and deficient rats with respect to the initial estimates for iron turnover and rate of 59Fe clearance from plasma. Red cell incorporation of 59Fe, however, was significantly reduced in the deficient animals (40 to 50% of control values). There also was a significant reduction in plasma and blood volumes of vitamin A-deficient rats. Moreover, there was a significantly greater isotope accumulation in the liver and spleen of the vitamin A-deficient rats.