adverse effects of excess vitamin A on the rat's liver

ABSTRACT

Hepatic morphology and function were studied in rats dosed with exceses vitamin A palmitate. One group was injected IM with 82.mg of vitamin A/Kg. body weight daily for 13 days, and another group injected similar dosage but every day and for 42 days. The vitamin A treated rats showed a drop in body weight prolonged prothrombin time, an increase in plasma alkaline phosphatase and enlarged livers. The changes were significant in the group receiving daily injections. Hepatic cells showed tiny vacuoles, mainly in the portal tracts. Various degrees of necrosis of the liver round cells occured and such cells were replaced by aggregates of mononucleated cells. The presence of lipid droplets in hepatic fat storing cells under excess vitamin A intake supports the theory that these cells are predominantly affected, whereas Kupffer cells suffer no abnormality