Abstract
Thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and biotin are all reported to produce fatty livers in the rat: choline, inositol, and pyridoxine to prevent them. 1 Biotin fatty livers alone have a high cholesterol ester content. 2
The cholesterol-fed guinea pig develops a fatty liver, enlarged spleen and a severe anemia. Liver damage can to some extent be judged by red cell count. 3
Vitamin requirements of the guinea pig are not entirely known. Findings reported here are the indirect results of an attempt to improve the nutrition of our animals and so make it possible to study the lesions remaining after a period of cholesterol feeding.
Diet “A” had been planned to parallel in respect to protein and fat content an egg yolk diet previously used. It supported growth in control animals slightly less well than our stock diet. Possible shortcomings seem tobe low riboflavin and pantothenic acid and too much fat.
Diet “B” in which the amounts of these components were adjusted as indicated below, increased apparent well being in both control and cholesterol-fed animals. We were greatly surprised, therefore, when the cholesterol-fed animals on this diet showed an abrupt fall in red cell count without the usual preliminary loss in weight and other evidences of illness, and when the autopsies showed gallstones.
Guinea pig bile contains relatively little lipid. These gallstones were rich in calcium phosphate, although they contained some cholesterol. Irritation of the membranes of the gall bladder and the biliary passages was common and some impaction of ducts was observed in cholesterol-fed animals. No stones were found in control animals. If this high incidence of gallstones is to
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