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Morphological changes in the rat small intestine in response to riboflavin depletion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

E. A. Williams ,
H. J. Powers  and
R. D. E. Rumsey
E. A. Williams
Affiliation:
University Department of Paediatrics, Sheffield Children' Hospital, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TH
H. J. Powers
Affiliation:
Department of Biomedical Science, University of Shefield, SlO 2TH
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Abstract

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Female Wistar rats were weaned onto a diet deficient in riboflavin and compared with weight-matched and ad lib.-fed controls. The effects of riboflavin deficiency on villus morphometry and enterocyte number on the villi in the upper small intestine were studied. Riboflavin depletion was associated with increased villus length and a proportional increase in the number of cell positions along the villi. The total DNA, RNA and protein contents in the intestinal mucosa were not significantly different between any of the groups. Villus hypertrophy in the absence of increased cell number in the small intestine suggests that villus number may be reduced in riboflavin deficiency. Riboflavin deficiency did not influence the number of mucus-producing goblet cells or the amount of mucosal glycoprotein in the small intestine. Impaired production of mucus appeared not to be involved in the structural and functional changes seen in riboflavin deficiency.

Keywords

RiboflavinRatVillus morphology
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 73 , Issue 1 , January 1995 , pp. 141 - 146
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1995

References

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