Vitamin B-6 Deficiency in Germfree Rats

• Published in: The Journal of nutrition Vol. 107; no. 9; pp. 1707 - 1714
• Main Authors: Sumi, Yukiko, Miyakawa, Masasumi, Kanzaki, Masanori, Kotake, Yahito
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.09.1977
• Subjects: Animals; Cerebellum - metabolism; Diaphragm - pathology; Germ-Free Life; germfree animal; Intestines - microbiology; Liver - metabolism; Lung - pathology; Male; microflora; Pulmonary Atelectasis - etiology; Pulmonary Atelectasis - pathology; Pyridoxine - metabolism; Pyridoxine - therapeutic use; pyridoxine deficiency; Ranvier's Nodes - pathology; Rats; Vitamin B 6 Deficiency - complications; Vitamin B 6 Deficiency - drug therapy; Vitamin B 6 Deficiency - microbiology; Vitamin B 6 Deficiency - pathology; Xanthurenates - urine; germfree animal; pyridoxine deficiency; microflora
• ISSN: 0022-3166; 1541-6100
• DOI: 10.1093/jn/107.9.1707

Germfree and conventional rats were used to investigate the influence of gut microflora upon vitamin B-6 deficiency. The body weights of conventional rats fed a vitamin B-6-deficient diet for more than 5 weeks plateaued, but the rats remained alive until the end of week 9 of deficiency. The body weights of germfree rats fed the same deficient diet decreased, and most of rats were moribund around the end of week 9 of deficiency; three died. Urinary xanthurenic acid excretion following tryptophan load continued to rise at each experimental week in deficient germfree rats, while such a progressive increase in the level of the excretion was not observed in deficient conventional rats. Autopsy revealed that some of deficient germfree rats suffered from partial or total lung atelectasis around week 9 of deficiency, while such lung disorders were not found in deficient conventional rats. The lung atelectasis was presumed to be the result of the respiratory muscle insufficiency which was closely related to the changes of the peripheral nerves innervating these muscles. The results may suggest that the presence of gut microflora made some contribution to improvement of the vitamin B-6 deficiency.