Hepatorenal Lesions in Rats Fed a Low Lipotrope Diet and Exposed to Aflatoxin

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Abstract
A diet low in methionine and choline was tested in rats to determine 1) the effect of a low lipotrope diet on DNA synthesis in the renal epithelium; 2) which of the lipotropes is most closely associated with the diet-associated renal lesion; and 3) the effect of superimposing aflatoxin, also associated with a renal lesion, on the low lipotrope diet. The low lipotrope diet caused a marked increase in DNA synthesis in the renal epithelium after 6 weeks but not after 3 weeks. Choline had the least beneficial effect on the renal lesion, whereas methionine was most effective in preventing it. When choline, methionine, and vitamin B12 were all included in the diet at normal levels, the renal lesion was prevented. Aflatoxin had no appreciable effect on the diet-associated renal lesion but had a damaging effect on the livers of rats fed the low lipotrope diet. It was concluded that 1) DNA synthesis in the injured renal epithelium was increased rather than impaired; 2) methionine was more closely associated with the renal lesion than was either choline or vitamin B12; and 3) aflatoxin had no appreciable effect on the renal lesion but resulted in a more severe liver response in rats fed the low lipotrope diet.