Issue |
Reprod. Nutr. Dev.
Volume 41, Number 1, January-February 2001
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 47 - 55 | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/rnd:2001111 |
Reprod. Nutr. Dev. 41 (2001) 47-55
Effect of dietary
-carotene on the accumulation
of
-carotene and vitamin A in plasma
and tissues of gilts
Florian J. Schweigerta, Ingeborg Buchholzb, Annette Schuhmacherc and Jürgen Groppc
a Institute of Nutritional Science, University Potsdam, Arthur-Scheunert-Allee 114-116, 14558 Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Germany
b Department of Veterinary Physiology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Leipzig, Germany
c Department of Animal Nutrition, Veterinary Faculty, University of Leipzig, Germany
(Received 18 August 2000; accepted 22 January 2001)
Abstract
The absorption of -carotene in pigs is limited. Nevertheless
-carotene might positively
affect reproduction. In this study the absorption and tissue distribution of
-carotene
as well as its function as precursor of vitamin A was investigated in gilts that were fed
according to one of three dietary treatments: VA (4000 IU vitamin A), VA + VA
(4000 IU + 8300 IU) and VA + BC (4000 IU + 100 mg
-carotene per kg diet) for 14 weeks.
Only in the VA + BC group was
-carotene detected in plasma (1-8 ng
mL-1), liver,
adrenals and corpora lutea, indicating that pigs absorb intact
-carotene at low rates.
Liver levels of vitamin A were higher (
P < 0.01) at comparable levels in the VA + VA
and VA + BC group than in the VA group, indicating a conversion rate of
-carotene to
vitamin A of 40 to 1 on the basis of weight for
-carotene at this level (100 mg
kg-1)
in the diet. Higher levels of vitamin A in the uterus of the VA + BC group (
P < 0.01)
as well as the accumulation of
-carotene in adrenals and corpora lutea might reflect
some influence of
-carotene on local vitamin A metabolism which might be of importance
for reproductive performance in gilts.
Key words: pig / metabolism / absorption / tissue distribution /

Correspondence and reprints: Florian J. Schweigert
e-mail: fjschwei@rz.uni-potsdam.de
© INRA, EDP Sciences 2001