Abstract
Summary
(1) Weanling rats of the Sprague-Dawley (SD) strain have a lower choline requirement for protection against renal hemorrhage and a higher requirement for maintenance of normal liver fat than was observed in rats of the Alabama Experiment Station (AES) strain. (2) Forty-two-day-old rats of either strain grew rapidly and failed to develop hemorrhagic kidneys when they were fed the choline-dencient basal diet supplemented with only vit. B12 and folacin. However, liver fat of the SD strain rats was 33% (dry basis) as compared to 62% for the AES strain rats. (3) The addition of vit. B12 and folacin to the basal diet supplemented with suboptimal choline chloride markedly suppressed the accumulation of fat in the liver, reduced the incidence of renal damage and increased the choline content of the livers of the SD strain of rats. Liver fat values averaging 12.8% (dry basis) were obtained with a 0.20% choline chloride supplement in the presence of vit. B12 and folacin as compared to a requirement of 0.40% choline chloride in the absence of vit. B12 and folacin.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.