Effect of nutritional vitamin A deficiency on lipid metabolism in the rat heart: Its relation to PPAR gene expression.

Objective: We studied the effect of dietary vitamin A deprivation on lipid composition and mRNA expression of regulatory enzymes involved in rat heart energetic lipid metabolism and its relation to the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) and retinoid X receptor (RXR) genes.

Methods: Male Wistar 21-d-old rats were fed for 3 mo with a vitamin A-free diet (vitamin A-deficient group) and the same diet plus 8 mg of retinol palmitate per kilogram of diet (control group). One group of deficient animals received the control diet 15 d before sacrifice (vitamin A-refed group).

Vitamin A deficiency modifies lipid metabolism in rat liver.

Liver fatty acid metabolism of male rats fed on a vitamin A-deficient diet for 3 months from 21 d of age was evaluated. Vitamin A restriction produced subclinical plasma and negligible liver retinol concentrations, compared with the control group receiving the same diet with 4000 IU vitamin A (8 mg retinol as retinyl palmitate)/kg diet. Vitamin A deficiency induced a hypolipidaemic effect by decreasing serum triacylglycerol, cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol levels.

Alterations in the lipid metabolism of rat aorta: effects of vitamin a deficiency.

Antioxidants are known to reduce cardiovascular disease by reducing the concentration of free radicals in the vessel wall and by preventing the oxidative modification of low-density lipoproteins. The prooxidative effect of a vitamin-A-deficient diet on the aorta has previously been demonstrated by us. In this study, the lipid metabolism in the aorta of rats fed on a vitamin-A-deficient diet was evaluated.