Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T01:14:19.010Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Retinyl palmitate supplementation by inhalation of an aerosol improves vitamin A status of preschool children in Gondar (Ethiopia)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

Hans Biesalski ,
Ram Reifen ,
Peter Fürst  and
Melkie Edris
Hans Biesalski*
Affiliation:
Institute of Biological Chemistry and Nutrition, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
Ram Reifen
Affiliation:
School of Nutritional Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
Peter Fürst
Affiliation:
Institute of Biological Chemistry and Nutrition, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
Melkie Edris
Affiliation:
Gondar College of Medical Sciences, Gondar, Ethiopia
*
*Corresponding author: Professor Hans K. Biesalski, fax +49 711 459 3822, email [email protected]
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.

We report successful vitamin A supplementation by inhalation of retinyl palmitate in a placebo-controlled pilot study in twenty-five preschool children (2–5 years of age) in the rural district of Gondar, Ethiopia. Preschool children (n 161) were randomly selected from 220 households. Out of this cohort, twenty-five children were randomly assigned to each of two treatment groups: one receiving retinyl palmitate by inhalation of two puffs of an aerosol containing 1 mg (3000 IU) per delivery to give a total of 2 mg (6000 IU); and the other receiving an aerosol without retinyl palmitate. Both treatments were administered every 2 weeks for 3 months. Serum retinol and retinol-binding protein concentrations in the vitamin A-treated group were 0·68 (sd 0·31) μmol/l and 59·4 (sd 24·2) mg/l before and 1·43 (sd 0·46) μmol/l (P < 0·01) and 97·3 (sd 31·2) mg/l (P < 0·05) 3 months after supplementation with retinyl palmitate, suggesting that this novel method of delivery of retinyl palmitate by inhalation is effective in improving vitamin A status.

Keywords

Retinyl palmitateVitamin AXerophthalmia
Type
Short communication
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 82 , Issue 3 , September 1999 , pp. 179 - 182
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1999

References

Bhandari, N, Bhan, MK & Sazawal, S (1994) Impact of massive dose of vitamin A given to preschool children with acute diarrhoea on subsequent respiratory and diarrhoea morbidity. British Medical Journal 309, 1404–1407.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Biesalski, HK (1996) Effects of intra-tracheal application of vitamin A on concentrations of retinol derivatives in plasma, lungs and selected tissues of rats. International Journal of Vitamin and Nutrition Research 66, 106–112.Google Scholar
Biesalski, HK, Ehrenthal, W, Gross, M & Hafner, G (1983) Rapid determination of retinol (vitamin A) in serum by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). International Journal of Vitamin and Nutrition Research 53, 130–136.Google Scholar
Biesalski, HK, Frank, J, Beck, C, Seeliger, MW, Wissinger, B, Reifen, R & Zrenner, E (1999) Biochemical but not clinical vitamin A deficiency results from mutations in the gene for retinol-binding protein. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 69, 931–936.Google Scholar
Biesalski, HK & Stofft, E (1992) Biochemical, morphological and functional aspects of systemic and local vitamin A-deficiency in the respiratory tract. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 669, 678–686.Google Scholar
Biesalski, HK & Weiser, H (1990) Microdetermination of retinyl esters in Guinea pig tissues under different vitamin A-status conditions. Micronutrient Analysis 7, 97–116.Google Scholar
Biesalski, HK, Wellner, U & Weiser, H (1990) Increased noise susceptibility during vitamin A deficiency in guinea pigs. Journal of Nutrition 120, 726–737.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blaner, WS (1989) Retinol-binding protein: the serum transport protein for vitamin A. Endocrinology Reviews 10, 308–316.Google Scholar
DeSole, G, Belay, Y & Zegeye, B (1987) Vitamin A deficiency in Southern Ethiopia. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 45, 780–784.Google Scholar
Gerlach, T, Biesalski, HK, Weiser, H, Haeussermann, B & Baessler, KH (1989) Vitamin A in parenteral nutrition: uptake and distribution of retinyl esters after intravenous application. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 50, 1029–1038.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hultin, M, Savonen, R & Olivecrona, T (1996) Chylomicron metabolism in rats: lipolysis, recirculation of triglyceride derived fatty acids in plasma FFA, and fate of core lipids as analyzed by compartmental modelling. Journal of Lipid Research 37, 1022–1036.Google Scholar
Humphrey, JH, Agoestina, T, Wu, L, Usman, A, Nurachim, M, Subardja, D, Hidayat, S, Tielsch, J, West, KP & Sommer, A (1996) Impact of neonatal vitamin A supplementation on infant morbidity and mortality. Journal of Pediatrics 128, 489–496.Google Scholar
McGowan, SE, Doro, MM & Jackson, S (1997) Endogenous retinoids increase perinatal elastin gene expression in rat lung fibroblasts and fetal explants. American Journal of Physiology 273, L410–L416.Google Scholar
Napoli, J (1996) Retinoic acid biosynthesis and metabolism. FASEB Journal 10, 993–1001.Google Scholar
Napoli, JL, Pacia, EB & Salerno, GJ (1989) Cholate effects on all trans retinyl-palmitate hydrolysis in tissue homogenates: solubilization of multiple kidney membrane hydrolases. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics 274, 192–199.Google Scholar
Rahman, MM, Mahalanabis, D, Alvarez, JO, Wahed, MA, Islam, MA, Habte, D & Khaled, MA (1996) Acute respiratory infections prevent improvement of vitamin A status in young infants supplemented with vitamin A. Journal of Nutrition 126, 628–633.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rahmathullah, L, Underwood, BA, Thulasiraj, RD & Milton, RC (1991) Diarrhea, respiratory infections and growth are not affected by a weekly low-dose vitamin A supplement: a masked, controlled field trial in children in Southern India. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 54, 568–577.Google Scholar
Ramakrishnan, U, Latham, MC & Abel, R (1995 a) Vitamin A supplementation does not improve growth of preschool children: a randomized, double-blind field trial in South India. Journal of Nutrition 125, 202–211.Google Scholar
Ramakrishnan, U, Latham, MC, Abel, R & Frongillo, EA Jr (1995 b) Vitamin A supplementation and morbidity among preschool children in South India. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 61, 1295–1303.Google Scholar
Roche, N, Chinet, T & Huchon, G (1997) Ambulatory inhalation therapy in obstructive lung diseases. Respiration 64, 121–130.Google Scholar
Seeliger, MW, Biesalski, HK, Wissinger, B, Gollnick, H, Gielen, S, Frank, J, Beck, S & Zrenner, E (1999) Phenotype in retinol deficiency due to hereditary defect in retinol binding protein synthesis. Investigative Opthalmology and Visual Sciences 40, 3–11.Google Scholar
Simm, K (1980) Klinische Erprobung von Coldastop bei Rhinitis sicca, Nasentropenabusus und postoperativen pathologischen Heilungsverläufen (Clinical test of Coldastop in rhinitis sicca, nasal drop abuse and pathological postoperative healing). Therapie Woche 30, 8002–8003.Google Scholar
Sommer, A, Katz, J & Tarwatjo, I (1984) Increased risk of respiratory disease and diarrhea in children with preexisting mild vitamin A deficiency. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 40, 1090–1095.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sommer, A, Rarwotjo, I & Katz, J (1986) Increased risk of xerophthalmia following diarrhea and respiratory disease. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 45, 977–980.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stofft, E, Biesalski, HK, Niederauer, U, Zschäbitz, A & Weiser, H (1992) Morphological changes in the tracheal epithelium of guinea pigs in conditions of "acute" vitamin A deficiency. International Journal of Vitamin and Nutrition Research 62, 143–147.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (1984) Prevention and Control of Vitamin A Deficiency and Xerophthalmia. WHO 37th World Health Assembly, Agenda Item 20.A37/A. Conference PaperGeneva:WHO.Google Scholar