The effect of dietary protein deficiency on transport of vitamin A in the blood and its storage in the liver

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Abstract
Young pigs were fed on diets of varying protein and vitamin A or carotenoid content. The liver and serum were analysed for vitamin A and the serum for ''albumin'' as determined by paper electrophoresis. Animals on low-protein diets had lower liver stores of vitamin A than animals on diets adequate in protein, which was considered to be due both to impaired conversion of carotenoids and to reduced absorption of vitamin A in the protein-deficient animals. The concentration of vitamin A in the serum was also reduced in animals on the low-protein diets. It was shown that this decrease was not related to the concentration of the vitamin in the liver. A highly significant correlation (r= 0. 76; P <0.001) was found between the concentration of serum vitamin A and that of serum ''albumin''. When the level of serum ''albumin'' was reduced in animals on a protein-deficient diet, the serum level of vitamin A was also reduced, irrespective of the concentration of the vitamin in the liver, and serum vitamin A levels of the protein-malnourished animals could not be corrected by dosing with the vitamin alone.

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