• DOI:10.1093/AJCN/40.6.1131
• Corpus ID: 4460887

Decreased hepatic vitamin A after drug administration in men and in rats.

@article{Leo1984DecreasedHV,
  title={Decreased hepatic vitamin A after drug administration in men and in rats.},
  author={Maria Anna Leo and N Lowe and Charles S. Lieber},
  journal={The American journal of clinical nutrition},
  year={1984},
  volume={40 6},
  pages={
          1131-6
        }
}

• M. A. Leo, N. Lowe, C. Lieber
• Published 1 December 1984
• Biology, Medicine, Chemistry
• The American journal of clinical nutrition

Eleven patients with moderate drug-induced liver changes were found to have extremely low hepatic vitamin A levels (less than 10% of normal). Their serum vitamin A, retinol-binding protein, and transthyretin were only slightly affected. In rats, two representative drugs (phenobarbital and methylcholanthrene) produced a significant depression of hepatic vitamin A, whereas plasma vitamin A levels remained normal. The livers of drug-treated animals showed no abnormalities except for the expected proliferation of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum and induction of microsomal enzymes and cytochrome P-450 (phenobarbital) and P-448 (methylcholanthrene). These findings suggest that the decrease in hepatic vitamin A may be secondary, at least in part, to enhanced microsomal metabolism.