[Effect of varying vitamin B6 intake levels on the vitamin B6 status of fetuses and reproductive organs].

In order to study the influence of varying vitamin B6 intake levels on the reproductive performance and the vitamin B6 status of fetuses and reproductive organs, 30 pregnant rats (Sprague Dawley strain) were fed a semisynthetic casein diet supplemented with 1, 6, 12, 24 and 48 mg vitamin B6/kg throughout pregnancy. On days 19 of pregnancy the rats were killed. Fetuses, placenta, amniotic fluid, amnion, uterus and mammary gland were analysed microbiologically for their vitamin B6 content. Reproductive performance was not influenced by the dietary treatment. Vitamin B6 concentrations in fetuses, placenta and amniotic fluid of mothers treated with the low 1-ppm vitamin B6 diet were significantly decreased. At a vitamin B6 supply of 6 ppm, however, tissue saturation was already reached in these organs. Accordingly, the whole vitamin B6 retention in the reproductive product plateaued at an intake level of 6 ppm vitamin B6 at 37 micrograms vitamin B6 per animal. These results indicate therefore that a level of 6 ppm dietary vitamin B6 is sufficient to guarantee an optimum vitamin B6 status in the reproductive product, and higher vitamin B6 supplementations showed no further effect on the parameters investigated.