Some observations on the vitamin B12 content of rat's milk

Vitamin contents in rat milk and effects of dietary vitamin intakes of dams on the vitamin contents in their milk

Studies of factors that affect milk vitamin contents are important. We investigated the vitamin contents in rat milk and the effects of dietary vitamin intakes of dams on the vitamin contents in their milk. A low-vitamin diet (0.2%) and a high-vitamin diet (4.0%) based on a diet containing 1% AIN-93-VX (normal diet) was given to female rats from pregnancy to lactation. Regarding the effects of the vitamin intakes, the concentrations of vitamins B(1), B(2), B(6), B(12) and E were decreased with the low-vitamin diet, but were not increased with the high-vitamin diet. The concentrations of niacin, pantothenic acid and biotin were not decreased with the low-vitamin diet, but were increased with the high-vitamin mixture diet. The folate concentration remained constant regardless of the intake of folate. These findings clearly indicate that the levels of certain vitamins in milk are easily affected by the dietary vitamin intakes.

Cobalamin and its binding protein in rat milk

Cobalamin and its binding protein, haptocorrin, are present in rat milk throughout the lactation period. The concentration of cobalamin is approximately 0.3-times the concentration of the unsaturated binding protein. The concentration of the unsaturated cobalamin-binding protein varies between 18 nmol l-1 and 16 nmol l-1. The binding protein has a Stokes radius of 2.49 nm when saturated with cobalamin and 2.61 nm when unsaturated. It binds cobalamin over a broad range of pH and is able to bind cobinamide also. With immunohistochemistry, we find haptocorrin immunoreactivity in the mammary glands and in the sebaceous glands of the nipple.