Iron status in female rats with different, stable plasma retinol concentrations

Abstract

To mimic the impaired iron status seen in children with chronic vitamin A deficiency, an attempt was made to produce rats with different, but more or less constant vitamin A status. Dams were fed different levels of vitamin A (1200, 450, 150 or 75 RE/kg feed) throughout pregnancy and lactation and their pups received the same diets. Blood parameters of vitamin A and iron status were measured throughout the study in the female pups until they were aged 41 weeks. At the end of the experiment blood and organs were collected for determination of vitamin A and iron status. In this rat model, different degrees of vitamin A deficiency were associated with almost constant plasma retinol concentrations. Vitamin A deficiency produced increases in spleen and tibia iron, and reductions in plasma iron, total iron-binding capacity and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration.