Effect of vitamin A deficiency on rat intestinal digestive & absorptive functions.

The effect of vitamin A deficiency on the intestinal absorption of nutrients and the activities of brush border enzymes were studied in albino rats. Intestinal uptakes of D-glucose, L-methionine, L-tryptophan and L-histidine were significantly greater in vitamin A-deficient animals than in controls. The specific activities of total adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase), ouabain-sensitive ATPase, maltase and sucrase in the intestinal mucosa of vitamin A-deprived rats were 121, 124, 131 and 134 per cent respectively, of the corresponding values in control animals. The DNA content of the small intestine in vitamin A-deficient rats was 36.5 per cent lower than in control rats. The stimulation in digestive and absorptive capacity appears to be an adaptive change in vitamin A-deficiency which decreases the intestinal cell population.