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STUDY OF VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENTATION IN CAPTIVE NORTHERN FUR SEALS ( CALLORHINUS URSINUS ) AND ITS EFFECT ON SERUM VITAMIN E
Author(s) -
Mazzaro Lisa M.,
Dunn J. Lawrence,
Furr Harold C.,
Clark Richard M.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
marine mammal science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.723
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1748-7692
pISSN - 0824-0469
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-7692.1995.tb00676.x
Subject(s) - vitamin , multivitamin , vitamin d and neurology , biology , endocrinology , medicine , retinyl palmitate , vitamin e , physiology , retinol , biochemistry , antioxidant
A bstract Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of vitamin A supplementation on serum vitamin E in adult female northern fur seals ( Callorhinus ursinus ). In the first experiment five animals received, in addition to their routine dietary multivitamin supplement, a high‐level vitamin A supplement (53 μmol retinyl palmitate/d) for 30 d. Five seals consuming their routine dietary supplement served as controls. Serum vitamin E decreased significantly in animals receiving high‐level vitamin A supplements. At the end of 30 d serum vitamin E averaged 18.6 μg/mL in the control animals and 13.4 μg/mL in the animals receiving the high‐Ieve1 vitamin A supplement. In experiment 2 ten animals received the high level vitamin A supplement for 60 d. After 30 d, serum vitamin E levels were reduced, but by 60 d had returned to baseline levels. However, the ratio of serum vitamin E to phospholipid, another index of vitamin E status, remained decreased. Although the exact mechanism of interaction is unknown, this study shows that when providing vitamin supplements for captive pinnipeds, vitamin interactions must be considered. The vitamin A supplementation currently used by some institutions seems unnecessary and may have detrimental effects on vitamin E status.