EFFECT OF CHOLINE ON THE PHOSPHOLIPIDS OF KIDNEY AND LIVER IN RATS

Abstract

When weanling rats were fed for 7 days on a mild choline-deficient diet, their kidney increased in size and weight and congested. The concentration of both cephalin and lecithin has decreased in kidney of deficient animals while in liver, in contrast to lecithin which has decreased in deficient animals, cephalin has increased significantly in comparison with that in control animals. When the feeding was continued for additional one month they were recovered from deficient symptoms and the difference of phospholipids pattern between the deficient and normal rats have disappeared. On a more severe deficient diet, rats were suffered from a severe hemorrhagic degeneration in kidney even only after 5 days of feeding. Many of them lost their weight and were moribund. The renal changes were characterized grossly by an increase in size, weight and hemorrhagic discoloration. In this case cephalin and lecithin have a lower concentration in both kidney and liver than normal animals. When the red cells were tested for osmotic fragility using hypotonic saline solution, it was found that those of deficient animals were more fragile and were hemolyzed more easily than those of control animals.