Abstract
The following results were obtained in the various stages of pantothenic acid deficient rats.
1) Amount of urinary excretion of pantothenic acid began to decrease from the following day after start of experiment. After a few days the amount decreased as much as those rats with pantothenic acid deficient symptoms. Thereafter the excretion maintained the same amount.
2) The body increase began to stop thereafter and reddish brown pigmentation of hair started. Falling out of hair, seborrhoic dermatitis, spectacled-eye and nervous symptoms appeared and thereafter many died suddenly with purulent inflammation. In the black rats their hair began to turn white but there was no fallout.
3) In the nervous symptoms observed in pantothenic acid deficiency there were two types and on account of the marked seasonal effect we suggest deviding them into summer type and winter type. The former type is mainly of the hyperalgesia of peripheral nerve and the latter is mainly of extrapyramidal symptom. Owing to increase of muscle tonus, while general condition is still good, intake of water and food becomes difficult and the rats suddenly becomes weak and die.
4) In the serum protein pattern the total protein content and globulin content decreased markedly from the early stage.
5) Large doses of thyrosine were given to pantothenic acid defficient rats from the beginning of experiments. However there was difference in their symptoms (especially nevuous symptoms between this group and the controlled pantothenic acid defficient group) . This indicates that, unlike B1, pantothenic acid has no connection with tyrosine metabolism.
6) We assume that the various symptoms mentioned above are caused by disturbances of acetilation due to pantothenic acid deficiency.
