QUALITATIVE BLOOD CELL CHANGES IN THE RAT DUE TO VITAMIN A

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Abstract
Hemograms on 990 rats, including 369 vit. A-deficient, 148 in various stages of hypervitaminosis A and 473 litter mate controls, showed a maturation lag of the polymorpho-nuclear leucocytes to be an early manifestation of vit. A-deficiency, with a decline in the % of younger granulocytic cells but no significant gross decline in the total number of neutrophils. Following the administration of "vit. A concentrate" there was a marked increase in younger granulocytic cells, which caused a "left shift" of the Arneth index. Vit. A is essential for normal cellular generation and function. After the injection of B. typhosus, vit. A-deficient animals had a more persistent leucocytosis than did either the controls or the moderately deficient group. The function of the reticulo-endothelial system to fix and dispose of foreign protein is impaired in avitaminosis A. A group of vit. A-deficient rats fed desiccated thyroid showed xerophthalmia 11.7 days earlier than did litter mate deficient rats. Blood cholesterol of rats receiving halibut liver oil was within normal limits, and the cholesterol of the fish oil was not responsible for the leucocytosis of the hypervitaminosis A rats. Gross pathologic changes were noted in hypervitaminosis A. Spectrophotometric detns. of the vit. A content of rat livers were found to correlate with the blood cell and pathologic findings.

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