Effect of vitamin A supplementation on lectin-induced diarrhoea and bacterial translocation in rats

Abstract

In a rat model of lectin-induced diarrhoea with translocation of enteric bacteria into mesenteric lymph nodes we evaluated the role of prior vitamin A supplementation in correcting diarrhoea and bacterial translocation. Although intraperitonial vitamin A palmitate injection (900 μg retinol equivalents twice a week for 5 weeks) substantially increased liver retinol concentration (154.83 ± 23.57 vs 56.65 ± 39.92 μg/g, P < .01), it had no significant effect on faecal wet weight (2.64 ± 1.21 vs 2.86 ± 1.06 g/d), body weight loss (−36.7 ± 16.7 vs −36.5 ± 8.6 g/per 10 days) or rate of translocation (83% vs 100% positive) in supplemented rats compared to unsupplemented rats. However, the mean bacterial count in mesenteric lymph nodes was significantly reduced in vitamin A supplemented group (log colony forming units/g:3.53 ± 0.77 vs 4.03 ± 0.86, p < .05). These findings suggest that vitamin A supplementation did not prevent diarrhoea and weight loss but reduced the severity of intestinal bacterial translocation to mesenteric lymph nodes in red kidney bean-induced diarrhoea and malabsorption. These results are compatible with the demonstrated effect of vitamin A supplementation in reducing childhood mortality in developing countries but with no effect on overall diarrhoea morbidity.