Chemical Pathology of Acute Amino Acid Deficiencies

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Young rats force-fed for three days a purified diet devoid of protein or amino acids developed different pathologic changes from those in rats force-fed the same diet with added essential and nonessential amino acids but devoid of threonine. The rats force-fed the protein-free diet showed no pathologic changes in the liver, whereas the rats fed the threonine-free diet developed an increase in liver lipid with a periportal distribution, an increase in liver glycogen, and a slight increase in liver nitrogen content. Similar but less marked changes in the liver were observed in rats fed the same diets at a level of 7 gm rather than 10 gm per rat per day for three days. Liver changes did not develop in any of the rats fed the same diets ad libitum. Liver catalase activity was decreased markedly in livers of rats fed the protein-free and threonine-free diets under both feeding conditions. Pancreatic atrophy along with a decrease in nitrogen, amylase, and trypsin developed in rats force-fed the protein-free and threonine-free diets and in animals fed the protein-free diet ad libitum. The results indicate that in force-feeding experiments the amino acid content of purified diets devoid of threonine is important in the induction of pathologic changes in the liver.