Abstract
Extract: The median vitamin A level in plasma of patients with cystic fibrosis of the pancreas (CFP) (18 μg/100 ml) was less than half that of a control group (39 μg/100 ml), whereas the median vitamin A level in liver (57 μg/g) was nearly 3.5 times higher (Table II.). Concentrations of vitamin E in both the plasma and the liver of the patients were less than one-third those of the control group. The data suggest that vitamin A-supplemented children with CFP are unable to maintain normal circulating levels of vitamin A because of a defect in mobilization or transport from storage tissue, rather than because of tissue depletion. Low blood levels of vitamin E, however, reflect tissue depletion and not defective transport.
Speculation: The cause of the apparent defect in ability to mobilize or transport vitamin A from the liver in children with CFP may be due to a limited ability to synthesize transport proteins or to a reduced activity of hepatic retinyl ester hydrolase enzymes These alternatives are under investigation.
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Underwood, B., Denning, C. Blood and Liver Concentrations of Vitamins A and E in Children with Cystic Fibrosis of the Pancreas. Pediatr Res 6, 26–31 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197201000-00004
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197201000-00004
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