Abstract
Scorbutic guinea pigs have a reduced skin reactivity. 1 , 2 , 3 Frei 4 sensitized guinea pigs to neoarsphenamine. Mayer and Sulzberger 5 reported that diet exerted an important influence in neoarsphenamine sensitization in guinea pigs. The present experiment demonstrates that guinea pigs on a scorbutic diet fail to develop as definite skin sensitivity to intradermal injections of neoarsphenamine as animals on a diet sufficient in Vitamin C.
Guinea pigs in groups B, C, D and E (Table I) were fed a grain mixture and carrots. Group B received in addition at various intervals 2 mg. ascorbic acid by mouth. Animals of Group A received the grain mixture, kale, hay and some carrots. These animals of group A did not develop the cardinal symptoms of scurvy but were maintained in a subacute state. They did not increase in weight during the experiment as did the animals in the other groups. The animals were fed these diets for 15 days before receiving the first intradermal injection.
For the sensitizing dose, groups A, B and C received intradermally 0.1 cc. of a 0.15% solution of neoarsphenamine in 5% C.P. dextrose, the solution being made from freshly boiled, glass-redistilled water. Control groups, D and E, received intradermally 0.1 cc. of the same solution without the neoarsphenamine. The provocative dose for groups A, B and E was the same as the sensitizing dose. For groups C and D the sensitizing and provocative doses were reversed (Table I). There was an interval of 40 days between the 2 doses.
Results. In group A (subacute scurvy), the sensitising dose gave a smaller reaction than it did in group B. There was little or no difference in the reactions produced by the sensitizing and provocative doses in group A.
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