Effect of vitamin B6 deficiency on collagen metabolism in rats.

The effects of VB6 deficiency on collagen metabolism were studied using young and adult rats. It was observed in VB6 deficient rats, that both the amount of urinary hydroxyproline and salt soluble fraction of skin collagen decreased. Furthermore, decrease of the alpha-component and increase of the beta-component were also found in the soluble collagen. However, the activity of plasma amine oxidase was lower and the aldehyde content in the acid soluble collagen were also lower than the control group. These changes were revealed more clearly in young growing rats than in adult rats. Based on these results, it may be that VB6 participates in the allysine (alpha-amino-adipic-delta-semialdehyde) formation which is considered as the first step of collagen maturation and also in the synthesis of protocollagen peptide chains.