Changes in the concentrations of vitamin D and its metabolites in the plasma of healthy subjects orally given physiological doses of vitamin D2 by multivitamin or vitamin D preparations.

Abstract

Changes in the concentrations of vitamin D and its metabolites in plasma of healthy subjects orally given physiological doses of vitamin D2 by multivitamin or vitamin D liquid preparations were determined and the bioavailability of vitamin D was studied. Separative assay on the D2 and D3 compounds of vitamin D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-D), 24R,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [24,25(OH)2D], and 1.alpha.,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] was performed in plasma of eight healthy male volunteers. When the concentrations of vitamin D and its metabolites in plasma of volunteers were assayed after daily oral administration of 400 IU of vitamin D2 in a form of multivitamin tablet for 1 week, the variations of vitamin, D3 and its metabolites in plasma levels were very small. In contrast, the concentrations of 25-OH-D2 and 1,25(OH)2D2 slightly increased after the administration, while neither vitamin D2 nor 24,25(OH)2D2 was detected. A single dose of 4,000 IU of vitamin D2 was orally given to the volunteers in a form of a vitamin D liquid preparation and the hourly variations were observed during 24 h.