Folate Deficiency and Pancreatic Acinar Cell Function

Abstract

The present study was designed to determine the effect of folate deficiency on pancreatic acinar cell function. In the first series of experiments, three groups of rats were fed ad libitum regular r$at feed, folate-deficient diet, or an equivalent amount of folate-sufficient diet. In the second series of experiments, rats were either fed ad libitum or rendered folate deficient by a purified folate-deficient diet; half of the folatedeficient group was replenished with oral folate. Body weight, pancreatic weight, DNA, [methyl-I4C]thymidine incorporation into DNA, RNA, [8-'4C]adenine incorporation into RNA, protein content, synthesis of proteins, amylase content, and basal and bethanechol-stimulated amylase secretion were determined. The parameters were the same in the rats fed a folate-sufficient diet as in those fed a regular rat feed. Feeding a ,Folate-deficient diet resulted in impaired DNA synthesis as evidenced by diminished incorporation of [methyl-'4C]thymidine into DNA. There was no change in secretion of amylase. Similar results were obtained in the second series of experiments. These studies indicate that folate deficiency (rather than antibiotic content of the diet) impaired pancreatic function. Folate deficiency may therefore contribute to pancreatic injury in malnutrition and alcoholism.

Folate Intake and Pancreatic Cancer Incidence: A Prospective Study of Swedish Women and Men

“…The pancreas contains high levels of folate (second only to the liver) ( 43 ) and glycine N -methyltransferase, which regulates the ratio of S -adenosylmethionine to S -adenosylhomocysteine ( 44 ) . Folate-defi cient animals display statistically signifi cantly decreased ratios of S -adenosylmethionine to S -adenosylhomocysteine ( 43 ) and less incorporation of thymidine into pancreatic DNA ( 45 ) . Studies in animal also have shown that diets defi cient in methyl group donors (choline and methionine) cause abnormal pancreatic acinar cell differentiation ( 46 , 47 ) and impaired exocrine pancreatic function ( 48 , 49 ) .…”

Diet, nutrient deficiency and chronic pancreatitis

“…Apart from the liver, the pancreas is the other organ in the body which has the maximum folate content. 23 Moreover, folate plays a crucial role in the integrity and normal physiology of the pancreas, 24 which becomes altered in folate deficiency. Folate plays an important role in one carbon transfer involving remethylation of homocysteine to methionine, which is a precursor of AdoMet, a ubiquitous methyl donor.…”

Nutritional and hormonal modulation of glycine N-methyltransferase: implications for aberrant methyl group metabolism

“…Folate deficiency has been shown to inhibit pancreatic function (Balaghi and Wagner 1992;Elseweidy and Singh 1984), which appears to be due to the inhibition of SAMdependent methylation of proteins that are responsible for the secretion of enzymes such as amylase (Capdevila et al 1997). These findings obviously have serious implications for the disruption of normal digestion in folate-deficient individuals, alcoholics, and those using drugs that produce side effects that alter folate and methyl group metabolism.…”