Retinol is sequestered in the bone marrow of vitamin A-deficient rats. J Nutr 1996 Jun;126(6):1618-26
Date
06/01/1996Pubmed ID
8648436DOI
10.1093/jn/126.6.1618Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0030013451 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 17 CitationsAbstract
Retinoic acid bound to the nuclear retinoic acid receptor-alpha is required for the differentiation of promyelocytes to mature neutrophils. However, severely vitamin A-deficient rats have normal numbers of neutrophils in the blood and inflamed tissues. This paradox was explored using four dietary groups of rats: 1) vitamin A-deficient rats; 2) vitamin A-deficient rats subsequently receiving vitamin A; 3) weight-matched pair-fed rats; and 4) nonrestricted, vitamin A-complete diet-fed rats. Plasma and liver retinol concentrations of the vitamin A-deficient rats were < 1 % of those of the other three groups. In contrast, the bone marrow retinol concentrations of the vitamin A-deficient rats were fourfold higher than those in the other three groups. The distribution of myeloid-derived cells in the bone marrow was similar in all four groups of rats with the exception of a significantly greater (P < 0.05) occurrence of hypersegmented neutrophils (six or more lobes) in the vitamin A-deficient rats (2. 1 %) relative to the control groups (0-0.1%). The blood of the vitamin A-deficient rats also contained significantly higher numbers (P < 0.01) of hypersegmented neutrophils (67%) relative to those in the control groups (2-7%). The hypersegmentation of the neutrophils in this group of rats was not due to a concurrent deficiency of vitamin B-12 or folate. The importance of bone marrow-derived cells to the survival of the animal is suggested by retinol sequestration in the bone marrow of vitamin A-deficient rats, allowing the differentiation of myeloid cells to neutrophils.
Author List
Twining SS, Schulte DP, Wilson PM, Fish BL, Moulder JEAuthor
Sally S. Twining PhD Assistant Dean, Professor in the Biochemistry department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AnimalsBone Marrow
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
Diet
Female
Folic Acid
Liver
Male
Neutrophils
Rats
Vitamin A
Vitamin A Deficiency
Vitamin B 12
