Vitamin B12 Concentration of Serum and Tissues of B12-Depleted Rats

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Abstract
Serum, liver, and kidney vitamin B12 levels of adult rats kept on B12-deficient diets declined very rapidly (within 5-10 days) to about 50% or less of those found in the controls. Rats kept on the deficient diets for 20 and 30 days showed a further drop in their serum B12 levels. The B12 concentration of liver and kidney reached a low plateau that was maintained despite continued consumption of the deficient diet. On the B12-containing diets, the liver and kidney levels showed a distinct tendency to rise. The rise was particularly seen in the kidneys whose B12 concentration after 30 days was seven-fold higher than that of the liver. The mechanism responsible for the pattern of B12 changes in deficiency states is discussed.