Responses of young rats to an oral contraceptive fed with varying levels of pyridoxine

Abstract

The oral contraceptive preparation Enovid was fed to female rats with 0, 0.5, 1.0, or 10 μg of pyridoxine per gram of diet. Except with the pyridoxine-deficient diet, the hormonal treatment produced lower body weights than were found in the corresponding pair-fed rats. Enovid did not appear to aggravate the condition of the pyridoxine-deficient animals. The elevated levels of urinary xanthurenic acid, inversely related to the dietary intake of pyridoxine, were depressed by the estrogen–progestogen preparation. Although Enovid did not alter the total amount of liver vitamin B6, it seemed to stimulate the alanine aminotransferase in the liver, and to elevate inconsistently that enzymic activity in erythrocytes. Aspartate aminotransferase in erythrocytes and liver appeared to be unaffected by the hormonal treatment.