The transition of zinc and iron metabolism in vitamin B₆ deficiency was investigated using germ-free and conventional rats.
In contrast to previous reports, a decrease in zinc content was not observed in the liver, pancreas, kindney, spleen, lung or testes of vitamin B₆-deficient conventional and germ-free rats, but we found an increase in zinc content in the kidney of conventional rats and in the liver and spleen of germ-free rats. Vitamin B₆-deficient conventional and germ-free rats retained more iron in their tissues than the control animals did, except for the spleen of germ-free rats. The deposit of iron was more evident in vitamin B₆-deficient germ-free rats than in vitamin B₆-deficient conventional rats, and is possibly proportional to the degree of vitamin B₆ deficiency. It is possible that the deposit of iron in the organs had some influence on metabolic disorders in vitamin B₆-deficient rats.