On the Glycogen Content in the Liver of Pigeons and Rats by B₁-Avitaminosis

抄録

(1) The glycogen contents in the liver of pigeons, and albino rats suffering from vitamin B₁-deficiency were estimated.
(2) In the case of pigeons, those which developed the disease without loosing much in body weight stored up more glycogen. than the normal ones, i. e. 1.5 to 2.0 times higher than the latter, while those suffered from severe inanition and consequently heavily loss in body weight had always less glycogen than the control. In pigeons cured by the administration of active oryzanin (B₁-preparation), the liver glycogen was nearly normal.
(3) The underfed birds had always less glycogen than the normal ones.
(4) In albino rats fed on carbohydrate rich synthetic diet and developed the disease, the liver glycogen was without exception 1.5 times higher than the normal ones. In the animals cured by active oryzanin, the glycogen content was again reduced to the normal level.
(5) Though the rats fed on B₁-free, high-fat diet lacking carbohydrates have shown the typical symptom of avitaminosis, yet there was no increase of glycogen in the liver.
(6) It may be assumed that the abnormal increase of glycogen in the liver of avitaminous animals fed on B₁-free diet is a secondary phenomenon of the disease, but not the cause of it.
(7) As the diets used in these experiments contained B₂ in the form of autoclaved yeast, it can be concluded that B₁ has played an important rôle for the metabolism of liver glycogen.