Cyclosporine administration decreases liver vitamin A stores in normal and vitamin A-deficient rats.

Thirty-four Wistar rats were fed a marginal or normal vitamin A diet and received daily for 14 days an intragastric intubation of oil supplemented with 0, 20, or 60 mg X kg-1 of cyclosporine A. The hepatic content and concentration of vitamin A were significantly decreased by cyclosporine treatment, whereas no modification occurred in kidney or serum vitamin A levels. No induction of hepatic cytochrome P-450 was observed in treated animals. These results suggest that cyclosporine interferes with vitamin A stores; thus, vitamin A supplementation may be useful in patients receiving cyclosporine therapy. Drug-metabolizing enzymes, which are cytochrome P-450 dependent, did not seem to be involved in the hepatic vitamin A decrease observed.