Pregnancy and Lactation Alter Vitamin A Metabolism and Kinetics in Rats under Vitamin A-Adequate Dietary Conditions
Abstract Objectives We investigated the impact of pregnancy and lactation on vitamin A (VA) metabolism and kinetics in rats, hypothesizing that this changed physiological status would perturb whole-body VA kinetics. Such information may be informative for future dietary recommendations. Methods Ten female rats (7 wk of age) and 6 male rats (9 wk of age) were fed an AIN-93 G diet upon arrival. After 1 week of acclimation, female rats received an oral dose of 3H-labeled retinol as the tracer to initiate the kinetic study. On d 21 after dosing (when 3H-retinol was expected to reach a log-linear terminal slope), 6 female rats were mated and checked daily for a vaginal plug to determine the date of pregnancy. On the day of delivery, litter size was adjusted to 10 pups/dam. Serial blood samples were collected from each female rat at 27–28 time points after dose administration until dams and pups were euthanized on d 14 of lactation. Hematocrit was measured, plasma tracer level was determined, and plasma fraction of dose vs. time was plotted. Model-based compartmental analysis will be applied to the plasma tracer data to develop VA kinetic models. Results All mated female rats became pregnant (pregnant group, PG, n = 6). Non-mated female rats were studied as non-pregnant controls (CN, n = 4). No difference was observed in hematocrit between PG and CN rats, suggesting no significant change in plasma volume expansion. Before breeding, plasma tracer response profiles were similar to CN rats. However, a consistent decline in plasma tracer levels was observed in PG rats during the middle of pregnancy, followed by a rise in late pregnancy, whereas such a change did not occur in CN rats. Moreover, during lactation, PG rats exhibited a steeper terminal slope compared to CN rats, indicating a more rapid utilization of VA in these lactating rats. Conclusions Pregnancy and lactation resulted in altered VA metabolism and kinetics in rats. Further analysis using mathematical modeling will explore the changes in kinetic parameters that underlie the perturbations we have observed in VA kinetics. Funding Sources National Institutes of Health.