Vitamin K1 distribution following intravenous vitamin K1-fat emulsion administration in rats

This study investigated vitamin K-1 (VK1) distribution following intravenous vitamin K-1-fat emulsion (VK1-FE) administration and compared it with that after VK1 injection. Rats were intravenously injected with VK1-FE or VK1. The organ and tissue VK1 concentrations were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography method at 0.5, 2 and 4h to determine distribution, equilibrium and elimination phases, respectively. In the VK1-FE group, the plasma, heart and spleen VK1 concentrations decreased over time. However, other organs like liver, lung, kidney, muscle and testis, reached peak VK1 concentrations at 2h. In the VK1 injection group, the liver VK1 concentrations were significantly higher than those in other organs at the three time points. However, VK1 concentrations in the other organs peaked at 2h. In addition, in VK1-FE group, the heart, spleen and lung VK1 concentrations were significantly higher than those in the VK1 injection group at the three time points, and the liver VK1 concentration was significantly higher than that in the VK1 injection group at 4h. The VK1 amount was greatest in the liver compared with the other organs. Thus, the liver is the primary organ for VK1 distribution. The distribution of VK1 is more rapid when injected as VK1-FE than as VK1. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.