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A new approach to the assessment of marginal vitamin A deficiency in children in suburban Guwahati, India: hydrolysis of retinoyl glucuronide to retinoic acid.

Abstract
The objective of the present study was to determine marginal vitamin A deficiency (VAD) by testing the hydrolysis of retinoyl glucuronide (RAG) to retinoic acid (RA) in children. Previous studies in rats showed that hydrolysis occurred when rats were vitamin A deficient. Children (n 61) aged 3-18 years, were divided into two groups, I and II. Blood was collected from the children in Group I (n 19) who were not dosed with RAG. Children in Group II (n 42) were administered all-trans retinoyl glucuronide (RAG) orally, and blood was collected 4 h after the dose. All serum samples were analysed for retinoids and carotenoids. RA was detected in serum only when serum retinol was < 0.85 micromol/l. Thus, hydrolysis of RAG to RA occurred in children with VAD or marginal VAD. Serum retinol was < 0.35 micromol/l in twenty-one children, 0.35-0.7 micromol/l in twenty-three children, 0.7-0.9 micromol/l in eleven children and >1 micromol/l in six children. Mean serum retinol in sixty-one children was 0.522 (sd 0.315) micromol/l. Mean beta-carotene (0.016 (sd 0.015) micromol/l) was far below normal compared to the level of lutein (0.176 (sd 0.10) micromol/l) in sixty-one children. A low beta-carotene level might be due to a low intake of carotene but high demand for vitamin A. The RAG hydrolysis test may prove to be a useful approach for the determination of marginal VAD with no clinical or subclinical signs of VAD. High prevalence of VAD amongst certain communities in Assam cannot be ruled out.
AuthorsPulin C Sarma, Bhabesh C Goswami, Krishna Gogoi, Harsha Bhattacharjee, Arun B Barua
JournalThe British journal of nutrition (Br J Nutr) Vol. 101 Issue 6 Pg. 794-7 (Mar 2009) ISSN: 1475-2662 [Electronic] England
PMID19283884 (Publication Type: Controlled Clinical Trial, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
Chemical References
  • beta Carotene
  • retinoyl glucuronide
  • Tretinoin
  • Lutein
Topics
  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid (methods)
  • Developing Countries
  • Female
  • Humans
  • India
  • Linear Models
  • Lutein (blood)
  • Male
  • Nutritional Status
  • Spectrophotometry (methods)
  • Tretinoin (analogs & derivatives, blood, metabolism)
  • Vitamin A Deficiency (diagnosis)
  • beta Carotene (blood)

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