Comparative study on the responses of concentrations of B6-vitamers in several tissues of mice to the dietary level of pyridoxine

Abstract

To examine the responses of the levels of B6-vitamers in several tissues to the dietary level of pyridoxine (PN), mice were fed diets containing 0, 1, 7 (the recommended level) or 35 mg PN HCl/kg diet for 5 wk. Compared with the 0 mg PN HCl/kg diet, the 35 mg PN HCl/kg diet caused the highest elevation in the concentration of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) in small intestine and epididymal adipose tissue, moderate elevation in colon, lung, spleen and stomach, slight elevation in brain, kidney and liver (p<0.05), and no elevation in heart and gastrocnemius muscle. In general, the alterations in PLP level in many tissues and serum were remarkable for diets between 1 mg and 7 mg PN HCl/kg diets. Compared to the 7 mg PN HCl/kg diet, the 35 mg PN HCl/kg diet further elevated the PLP level in adipose tissue, spleen and stomach (p<0.05). Dietary supplemental PN elevated the level of PN in small intestine and colon in a dose-dependent manner (p<0.05), but not in other tissues. There was a significant correlation between the PN and PLP levels in small intestine and colon (p<0.05), implying that PN absorbed from the diet can be at least in part metabolized to PLP within the absorptive intestinal cells. The results suggest that the responses of concentrations of B6-vitamers to dietary level of PN greatly differ among several tissues.