Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Cooper, K.M

Titel

Histochemical and biochemical studies of biotin in pigs and chickens

Ort / Verlag

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

Erscheinungsjahr

1994

Quelle

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• An enzyme-linked ligand-sorbent assay for biotin was established and validated for porcine plasma. This assay showed improved sensitivity and precision by comparison with a microbiological assay. Clinical biotin deficiency was induced in young pigs by feeding diets containing dried egg white. There were increases in unsaturated fatty acids and in the ratio of C20:4 to C18:2 in liver, kidney, heart, skeletal muscle and plasma in the deficient animals. It was unclear if these changes were due to biotin deficiency per se, or different dietary ingredients. Simultaneous deficiencies of biotin and the antioxidant vitamin E were induced in pigs. While vitamin E deficiency increased peroxidation of tissue lipids, as measured by 4-hydroxynonenal production, feeding a diet deficient in biotin had no such effect. The distribution of biotin in tissues of biotin suplemented and depleted pigs and chickens was investigated using an optimised immunohistochemical method applied to frozen sections. Biotin was present in a wide range of tissues. Staining was intense in differentiated tissues, particularly in glandular epithelial cells. Rapidly proliferating cells were weakly stained. Intense staining of biotin in adrenal cortex and interstitial cells of testes suggested a role for biotin in steroid hormone synthesis. Immunoelectron microscopy studies demonstrated biotin in cytosol, mitochondria (in line with the known biochemical functions of biotin), and nuclei (where the function of biotin is unclear). These results highlight the potential for false positive binding of tissue biotin in histochemical and in situ hybridisation techniques employing anti-biotin antibodies or avidin-biotin detection system.