1999 Volume 18 Issue 1 Pages 37-42
In order to know the accumulation of menaquinones produced by intestinal bacteria in new born animals, phylloquinone (K) and menaquinone (MK-n) concentrations were determined in the feces, milk, plasma and vernix caseosa of beagle dams and in the feces, liver and plasma of pups 1 through 60 days old. K and menaquinones (MK-4-MK-13) were detected in dams' feces, where MK-10, -11 and -12 were predominant. K was detected in the feces of pups 3 days after birth, and menaquinones appeared after 7 days. The highest concentration of menaquinones in the pups' feces was found on day 14 and the concentration gradually decreased thereafter. K and MK-4 were detected in the liver of pups on the first day after birth, and menaquinones, especially MK-7, were detected after 3 days. Long-chain menaquinones (MK-9-MK-13) appeared after 7 to 14 days and their concentrations increased thereafter. The total menaquinone concentration in pups' liver at 1, 3, 7, 14, 28 and 60 days was 1.89, 8.39, 9.67, 11.91, 11.43 and 55.12 pmol/g, respectively. K, MK-4, MK-6, MK-7 and MK-8 were detected in the dams' plasma and milk. The concentration of MK-4 in milk was about 60-fold higher, the K concentration was almost twice as high, and the MK-7 and -8 concentrations were lower than those in plasma. Except for MK-4, the concentration of K and menaquinones in the pups' plasma were lower on the first day after birth but increased after 3 days, and their concentrations were comparable with those in the dams' plasma. K, MK-4 and MK-6-MK-10 were detected in the vernix caseosa. MK-4 was present at a concentration of about 200 pmol/g, MK-6 and MK-7 at about 25 pmol/g, and K at approximately 7 pmol/g. These data showed a pattern of menaquinone accumulation, especially in the liver, after birth and revealed that a certain menaquinone (MK-7) appeared in the liver as early as 3 days after birth in beagle pups.
