Impact of dietary vitamin A deficiency on body physiology and liver metabolism of Wistar rats.

This article focuses on establishing an experimental model of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in male Wistar rats and evaluating its effects on metabolic and oxidative parameters in the liver. Rats fed a vitamin A-free diet for 45 days exhibited reduced body and liver mass, lower blood glucose and serum cholesterol levels, and increased hepatic lipid and glyceride-fatty acid content compared to controls. Additionally, oxidative damage was indicated by a significant increase in liver carbonylated proteins, although lipid peroxidation and catalase activity remained unchanged. The study concludes that dietary vitamin A deficiency effectively induces hypovitaminosis A characteristics in rats, making this model suitable for investigating glucose and lipid metabolism alterations related to VAD.