Avitaminosis. VI. Vitamin B Lipemia Versus Inanition Lipemia in the Lactating Rat and its Nursing Young. 20

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a deficiency of vitamin B per se on lipid metabolism of the lactating albino rat and its nursing young. The avitaminosis was produced according to technique previously described. 1 The experiments were conducted in triads. The pathological group received auto-claved dried baker's yeast as a source of vitamin G. Litter mates were restricted to the same amount of food and water of the same diet as consumed by the avitaminotic group, but the yeast in the ration was untreated. The plane of nutrition was the same in this diet, and the only limiting factor was the destruction of vitamin B in the process of autoclaving. Another group of litter mate lactating rats was fed the same ration, containing the untreated yeast, but the daily intake of food and water was unrestricted. As the only limiting factor between the second and third groups was the plane of nutrition, the difference is due to inanition.

One-half a cc. of blood was used for the determination of fatty acids, lecithins, and iodine number. When the cholesterol was determined it was obtained from a separate one-half cc. sample, because results were not satisfactory when cholesterol was first obtained by chloroform extraction and the residue used for the determination of the other lipid constituents.

Nine triads, each consisting of pathological, restricted, and unrestricted mothers with their litters, were studied. An analysis of the data obtained from these groups made the following conclusions possible : Vitamin B deficiency per se produces a very pronounced influence on the concentration of fatty acids in the blood of the lactating albino rat and its nursing young. It is also evident from determinations of the iodine number that a great proportion of the fatty acid increase belongs to the unsaturated series.