Skin content and plasma transport of vitamin A and β-carotene in chronic renal failure

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Abstract
The serum and cutaneous concentrations of .BETA.-carotene and vitamin A and the serum concentrations of retinol-binding protein (RBP) and prealbumin were investigated in 10 patients with chronic renal failure. The serum .beta.-carotene concentration was lower in the patients (1.3 .+-. 0.7 .mu.ol/l) than in the 22 healthy controls (2.4 .+-. 0.9; P < 0.01). The skin carotene concentration was also lower in patients than in control (18.7 .+-. 5.5 v. 24.6 .+-. 9.9 nmol/g protein; P < 0.05). By contrast, the patients'' mean concentration of vitamin A in the skin was twice that of the healthy controls (11.0 .+-. 4.8 vs. 5.9 .+-. 1.4 nmol/g protein; P < 0.005) and in serum 3 times that of the controls (4.8 .+-. 1.7 vs 1.8 .+-. 0.3 .mu.mol/l; P < 0.001). The increase of serum vitamin A was accompanied by a rise in the RBP concentration, but the concentrations of vitamin A-esters and prealbumin remained in the normal range. Apparently, vitamin A may accumulate in the skin as a result of an increased transfer of the vitamin by RBP. A possible relationship between high skin levels of vitamin A and uremic skin symptoms is discussed.

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