%0 Journal Article
%T Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor Contributes to ¦Â-Carotene Uptake in the Maternal Liver
%A Brianna K. Costabile
%A Loredana Quadro
%A Varsha Shete
%A Youn-Kyung Kim
%J Archive of "Nutrients".
%D 2016
%R 10.3390/nu8120765
%X Vitamin A regulates many essential mammalian biological processes, including embryonic development. ¦Â-carotene is the main source of vitamin A in the human diet. Once ingested, it is packaged into lipoproteins, predominantly low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and transported to different sites within the body, including the liver and developing tissues, where it can either be stored or metabolized to retinoids (vitamin A and its derivatives). The molecular mechanisms of ¦Â-carotene uptake by the liver or developing tissues remain elusive. Here, we investigated the role of the LDL receptor (LDLr) in ¦Â-carotene uptake by maternal liver, placenta and embryo. We administered a single dose of ¦Â-carotene to Ldlr+/£¿ and Ldlr£¿/£¿ pregnant mice via intraperitoneal injection at mid-gestation and monitored the changes in ¦Â-carotene content among maternal lipoproteins and the liver, as well as the accumulation of ¦Â-carotene in the placental¨Cfetal unit. We showed an abnormal ¦Â-carotene distribution among serum lipoproteins and reduced hepatic ¦Â-carotene uptake in Ldlr£¿/£¿ dams. These data strongly imply that LDLr significantly contributes to ¦Â-carotene uptake in the adult mouse liver. In contrast, LDLr does not seem to mediate acquisition of ¦Â-carotene by the placental¨Cfetal unit
%K ¦Â-carotene uptake
%K vitamin A
%K LDL receptor
%K maternal liver
%U https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5188420/