Absorption and localization of zinc in the ileum of chicks dependent on provision with vitamin A

: Vitamin A increase the accumulation and transport of zinc in the chick ileal mucosa. Regulating effect of this vitamin on the mentioned processes was already observed in the initial stage zinc uptake in the intestinal mucosa--its storage in the mucus layer. Stimulation of zinc absorption by vitamin A can be related to a specific carrier-vitamin A-dependent zinc-binding protein. Presence of zinc in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum of the enterocyte apical zone suggests the role of this organelle in the cation homeostasis in the cell.