Abstract
Recent observations(1)-(2) indicate that some patients given aureomycin or terramycin developed fatty liver. This was associated with an increase in bromsulphthalein retention in some cases. The following experiments represent attempts to study this phenomenon.
Methods. Aureomycin was administered to mongrel dogs Sprague—Dawley rats and humans in the manner and dose indicated in Table I. Serial data from dogs and humans fed aureomycin were compared to pre—treat—ment data. Rats fed or injected aureomycin were compared with pair—fed or pair—injected (saline) animals. Rats and dogs were continued on commercial rations and humans on their usual diet. Histological studies including fat stains were made of liver tissue from needle biopsies(3) of dogs and necropsies from rats. Liver fat in rats was also determined chemically(4). The following liver function tests were performed on dogs and humans at weekly intervals: bromsulphthalein retention(5), serum bilirubin(6), thymol turbidity(7) and zinc sulfate turbidity(8). In addition, cephalin cholesterol flocculation(9) and gamma globulin turbidity(10) tests were done on humas.
LResults. (Table I). There were no significant changes in liver fat of dogs or rats as measured histologically and/or chemically afiter aureomycin administration for as long as 70 days. Two g aureomycin taken orally by three healthy young men for 310 days produced no changes in liver function tests in 2 subjects. One individual showed a change in bromsulphthalein retention from control values of 2% to 6% during therapy. This was not considered significant. There wereno changes in the other tests done in this subject.
Comment. Dowling, et al.(11) observed increased liver fat and even death in some animals treated with large amounts of aureomycin. Gyorgy, et al.,(12) has demonstrated that aureomycin actually prevents fatty liver and prolongs the survival of rats fed diets low in choline or methionine.
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