Hostname: page-component-cb9f654ff-5jtmz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-08-29T21:25:04.943Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Vitamin K distribution in rat tissues: dietary phylloquinone is a source of tissue menaquinone-4

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

H. H. W. Thijssen  and
M. J. Drittij-Reijnders
H. H. W. Thijssen
Affiliation:
Department of Pharmacology, University of Limburg, PO Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
M. J. Drittij-Reijnders
Affiliation:
Department of Pharmacology, University of Limburg, PO Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The present study was undertaken to determine whether there is selective tissue distribution of vitamin K in the rat and whether this distribution mirrors the distribution of tissue vitamin K metabolism. The effects of feeding a vitamin K-free diet followed by resupplementation with phylloquinone (K1) were studied. K1 was recovered in all tissues. In K1 -supplemented rats, most tissues accumulated K1 relative to plasma K1 with the highest levels in liver, heart, bone, and cartilaginous tissue (sternum). Low K1 levels were found in the brain. In the K1-free rats, relatively high K1 levels were still found in heart, pancreas, bone and sternum. Surprisingly, menaquinone-4 (MK-4) was detected in all tissues, with low levels in plasma and liver, and much higher levels in pancreas, salivary gland and sternum. MK-4 levels exceeded K1 levels in brain, pancreas, salivary gland and sternum. Supplementation with K1, orally and by intravenous infusion, caused MK-4 levels to rise. Some accumulation of K1 and MK-4 in the mitochondrial fraction was found for kidney, pancreas and salivary gland. In the liver the higher menaquinones (MK-6–9) accumulated in the mitochondria. The results indicate that: (1) there is selective tissue distribution of K1 and MK-4, (2) dietary K1 is a source of MK-4. The results also suggest there may be an as yet unrecognized physiological function for vitamin K (MK-4).

Keywords

Vitamin KMenaquinonePhylloquinoneRat

Information

Type
Tissue distribution of vitamin K
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 72 , Issue 3 , September 1994 , pp. 415 - 425
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1994

References

REFERENCES

Billeter, M., Bolliger, W. & Martius, C. (1964). Untersuchungen iiber die Umwandlung von verfiitterten K- Vitaminen durch Austausch der Seitenkette und die Rolle der Darmbakterien hierbei (The conversion of dietary K-vitamins by side-chain exchaqge. The role of the gut flora). Biochemische Zeitschrift 340, 290–303.Google Scholar
Billeter, M. & Martius, C. (1960). Uber die Umwandlung von Phyllochinon (Vitamin K1) in Vitamin K2(20) im Tierkorper (On the conversion of phylloquinone (vitamin K,) into vitamin K,(20) in animals). Biochemische Zeitschrift 333, 430–439.Google Scholar
Dkalameh, G. H., Taggart, W. V., Matschiner, J. T. & Olson, R. E. (1971). Isolation and characterization of menaquinone-4 as a product of menadione metabolism in chicks and rats. International Journal of Vitamin and Nutrition Research 41, 391–400.Google Scholar
Fair, D. S., Marlar, R. A. & Levin, E. G. (1986). Human endothelial cells synthesize protein S. Blood 67, 1168–1171.Google Scholar
Guillaumont, M., Weiser, H., Sann, L., Vignal, B., Leclerq, M. & Frederich, A. (1992). Hepatic concentration of vitamin K active compounds after application of phylloquinone to chickens on a vitamin K deficient or adequate diet International Journal of Vitamin and Nutrition Research 62, 15–20.Google Scholar
Hall, J. G., Pauli, R. M. & Wilson, K. M. (1980). Maternal and fetal sequelae of anticoagulation during pregnancy. American Journal of Medicine 68, 122–140.Google Scholar
Hauschka, P. V., Lian, J. B., Cole, E. C. & Gundberg, C. M. (1989). Osteocalcin and matrix GLA protein: vitamin K dependent proteins in bone. Physiological Review 69, 990–1047.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hirauchi, K., Sakano, I., Notsumoto, S., Nagaoka, T., Morimoto, A., Fujimoto, K., Masuda, S. & Suzuki, Y. (1989). Measurement of K vitamins in animal tissues by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection. Journal of Chromatography 497, 131–137.Google Scholar
Ichihashi, T., Takagishi, Y., Uchida, K. & Yamada, H. (1992). Colonic absorption of menaquinone-4 and menaquinone-9 in rats. Journal of Nutrition 122, 506–512.Google Scholar
Kindberg, C., Suttie, J. W., Uchida, K., Hirauchi, K. & Nakao, H. (1987). Menaquinone production and utilization in germ-free rats after inoculation with specific organisms. Journal of Nutrition 117, 1032–1035.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mathers, J. C., Fernandez, F., Hill, M. J., McCarthy, P. T., Shearer, M. J. & Oxley, A. (1990). Dietary modification of potential vitamin K supply from enteric bacterial menaquinones in rats. British Journal of Nutrition 63, 639–652.Google Scholar
Ramotar, K., Conly, J. M., Chubb, H. & Louie, T. J. (1984). Production of menaquinones by intestinal anaerobes. Journal of Infectious Diseases 150, 213–218.Google Scholar
Sundaram, K. S. & Lev, M. (1990). Regulation of sulfotransferase activity by vitamin K in mouse brain. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics 217, 109–113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suttie, J. W. (1987). Recent advances in hepatic vitamin K metabolism and function. Hepatology 7, 367–376.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taggart, W. V. & Matschiner, J. T. (1969). Metabolism of menadione-6,7–3H in the rat. Biochemistry 8, 1141–1146.Google Scholar
Thijssen, H. H. W. & Baars, L. G. M. (1991). Tissue distribution of selective warfarin binding sites in the rat, Biochemical Pharmacology 42, 2181–2186.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thijssen, H. H. W. & Drittij-Reijnders, M. J. (1993). Vitamin K metabolism and vitamin K, status in human liver samples: a search for interindividual differences in warfarin sensitivity. British Journal of Haematology 84, 681–685.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vermeer, C. (1990). Gamma-carboxyglutamate containing proteins and the vitamin K dependent carboxylase. Biochemical Journal 266, 625–636.Google Scholar
Will, B. H., Usui, Y. & Suttie, J. W. (1992). Comparative metabolism and requirement of vitamin K in chicks and rats. Journal of Nutrition 122, 2356–2360.Google Scholar