The Use of Depleted Rats for Investigations of Vitamin B12 and Unidentified Factors

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Abstract
Depleted weanling rats from breeder females which received a vegetable-protein ration during gestation and lactation were used for investigations of vitamin B12 and unidentified factors. The weanling rats responded to vitamin B12a and to graded levels of vitamin B12 but not to pseudovitamin B12. The addition of unidentified factors produced more than twice as much gain as was observed with 13.75 µg of vitamin B12/kg. With vitamin B12 in the ration, dried whole liver, dried liver extract, fish solubles and dried whey produced greater gains than fish meal and fermentation solubles. Antibiotics, 3-nitro, 4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid, malt sprouts, liver residue, lyxoflavin and mucin were inactive as sources of unidentified factors. The response with grass juice factor and orotic acid were small and of doubtful significance.