2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) alters the turnover of vitamin A in the body and inhibits the normal hepatic accumulation of dietary vitamin A. Vitamin A is absorbed in the small intestine, where it is incorporated into chylomicrons as retinyl esters for release into the lymph and further distributed via blood to the liver for storage. The aim of the present study was to investigate if the decreased hepatic vitamin A levels in TCDD-exposed rats could be due to impaired intestinal absorption of vitamin A via lymph. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were given a single oral dose of TCDD (10 microg/kg). Five days after administration, the main intestinal lymph duct of the rats was cannulated. After a 24-h recovery from surgery, the rats were each given a single dose of [3H]retinol in corn oil via gavage and the lymph was collected for 24 h. The cumulative radiolabel recovered in the intestinal lymph was significantly lower in TCDD-treated than in control rats during the first 6 h of absorption. However, no significant differences in radiolabel recovered in lymph were seen when looking at the entire 24-h collection period. In the intestinal mucosa, retinol esterification catalyzed by the enzyme lecithin:retinol acyl transferase (LRAT) or acyl coenzyme A (CoA):retinol transferase (ARAT) was not statistically different between the groups. However, mucosal retinyl palmitate levels were significantly increased in TCDD-treated rats. In conclusion, a small and transient reduction was found of the uptake of vitamin A into the lymph of TCDD-treated rats. It is obvious that this finding cannot explain the TCDD-induced decrease in hepatic vitamin A levels in the rat. Rather, a combination of inhibited retinol esterification in hepatic stellate cells, increased release of endogenous vitamin A, and increased hepatic catabolism of retinoids could explain the effect of TCDD on liver retinoid levels.