We have previously reported that rats fed on a vitamin B
12 (B
12)-deficient diet containing 180 g soybean protein per kg diet showed marked histologic damage in their testes. In this paper, we report the effect of B
12-deficiency on B
12-dependent methionine synthase in the rats' testes and the effect of methionine supplementation of the diet on testicular damage. Rats were fed the soybean protein-based B
12-deficient diet for 120 d. We confirmed that those rats were in serious B
12-deficiency by measuring urinary methylmalonic acid excretion and B
12 content in tissues. Methionine synthase activity in the testis of the B
12-deficient rats was less than 2% of that in B
12-supplemented (control) rats. To complement disrupted methionine biosynthesis, methionine was supplied in the diet. A supplement of 5 g D,L-methionine per kg diet to the B
12-deficient diet did not affect urinary methylmalonic acid excretion of B
12-deficient rats. The testicular histology of rats fed the methionine-supplemented B
12-deficient diet was almost indistinguishable from that of control rats. Thus, we conclude that the lowered testicular methionine synthase activity is the primary cause of the histologic damage due to B
12-deficiency and that methionine supplementation to the diet can reduce the damage. These findings would indicate the importance of the methionine synthase activity, especially for testicular function.
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