Effects of Aureomycin on Renal Lesions, Liver Lipid, and Tissue Choline in Choline Deficiency

Abstract
Summary The renal lesions and animal mortality caused by a purified diet deficient in choline were largely prevented by supplementing the diet with rather high levels of crystalline aureomycin. Fatty changes in the liver also appeared to be reduced to some extent. These effects of aureomycin were not due to changes in food consumption, and did not appear to involve the endocrine glands. The effects of aureomycin were not diminished by recrystallization, but destruction of the antibacterial properties by heating in alkaline solution also abolished the protective effects. Studies with diets containing greatly increased amounts of various vitamin factors produced no evidence that the effects of aureomycin might have been due to alterations in production or conservation of any of the factors present in the diet, with the exception of vit B12 and choline itself. The levels of choline in liver and kidney tissue and in feces of deficient animals appeared to be increased slightly as a result of aureomycin administration.