Abstract
In vitamin E deficient rats, the experiments were performed to test excretion of histidine, its derivatives and histidine dipeptide in urine and the histopathological changes were studied. Vitamin E deficient rats were produced by feeding of vitamin E deficient diet. The following results were obtained :
1) The excretion of histidine, 1-methylhistidine and 3-methylhistidine in the urine was decreased. The result obtained in this experiment was opposed to that in the case of rabbits.
2) Excretion of the metabolites in urine was increased by the subcutaneous injection of 20 mg/animal histidine and its dipeptides (anserine, ophidine or homocarnosine) . It seemed likely that the vitamin E deficiency in rats did not cause any abnormality in the metabolism of histidine and its dipeptides.
3) By histopathological studies, sphacelation of spermatid, spermatogonium and of spermatocyte in testis were observed, but no changes in liver, kidney and muscle were observed.
4) Excretion of histidine and its derivatives in vitamin E deficient rats was different from that in rabbits. One possibility to explain the different results in rats and rabbits could be attributed to the difference of animal muscles used for experiments.
