Effect of Nitrate and Nitrite on Vitamin A Storage in the Rat

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Abstract
Rats receiving diets with and without 3% of sodium nitrate or 0.5% of sodium nitrite were administered vitamin A palmitate in oil solution or in a water dispersion, either orally or by subcutaneous injection, or β-carotene in oil solution by stomach tube. In all instances, during the brief periods allowed in these studies, the water dispersed source of vitamin A contributed to liver storage to a much greater extent than the oil solution, and the orally administered sources to a much greater extent than the injected sources. The feeding of nitrite, but not nitrate, significantly lowered liver storage of vitamin A from orally administered sources of preformed vitamin A, but not from injected sources. Both nitrate and nitrite significantly lowered the liver storage of vitamin A from carotene with the greatest effect resulting from nitrite. Possible mechanisms were discussed.