Vitamin A deficiency has been reported to result in mild structural and functional changes within the small intestine. The objective of this study was to measure the impact of
vitamin A deficiency in the rat on several functional aspects of
beta-carotene uptake and intestinal
retinyl ester hydrolysis. These included uptake of (14)C-beta-carotene by brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) and in vitro activity of intrinsic
retinyl ester hydrolase (REH). Rats (n = 33) were randomly assigned to receive one of three dietary treatments:
vitamin A deficient (-VA),
vitamin A sufficient pair-fed (PF), or
vitamin A sufficient free access-fed (FA). Liver, serum
retinol, and growth data were used to verify clinical
vitamin A deficiency. Rats in the -VA group were clinically
vitamin A deficient by Day 56 on a
vitamin A-free diet and, at that point, all rats were randomly assigned to one of two experimental treatments: BBMV studies or REH activity assays. Uptake of (14)C-beta-carotene by BBMV was significantly suppressed (P < 0.05) in -VA rats when compared to both PF and FA control rats during early passive uptake equilibration (10-20 sec). Uptake was also significantly decreased by BBMV isolated from -VA rats compared to PF controls, but not FA controls, after a 10-min incubation (P < 0.05). In vitro activity of REH was not impacted by
vitamin A deficiency in rats, although a trend for greater activity from -VA rats was noted. These data suggest that
vitamin A deficiency impairs enterocyte membrane uptake of
beta-carotene without altering the enzymatic activity of intrinsic REH.