Effect of undernutrition and vitamin A deficiency on the phospholipid composition of rat tissues at 21 days of age. -- I. Liver, spleen and kidney.

Studies were made of the effects of undernutrition and Vitamin A deficiency on the phospholipid composition of liver, spleen and kidney in rat. Undernutrition and vitamin A deficiency cause a significant deficit in body and tissue weights. But the deficit seems to be more in undernourished rats. Significant deficits were found in the concentration of total phospholipid in livers from both the experimental groups. This decrease in total phospholipid was reflected in most of the phospholipids with a significant decrease in phosphatidyl serine and inositol fraction of undernourished rats. The concentration of total phospholipid in the spleen was increased in undernourished rats. This increase was mainly confined to the sphingomyelin fraction. However the phosphatidyl choline was found to decrease in undernourished rats. No major changes were observed in the concentration of different phospholipids of kidney from the experimental rats. These results suggest that undernutrition and vitamin A deficiency have differential effects on the phospholipid composition of different tissues and the effects of vitamin A deficiency seems to be due to general growth retardation rather than the specific effect of vitamin A per se.