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Growth Depression and Tissue Reaction to the Consumption of Excess Dietary Methionine and S-methyl-L-cysteine¹

Departments of Meat and Animal Science, Nutritional Sciences and Pathology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706

Similar depressions in growth were observed when rats consumed a 10% casein basal diet containing equal quantities of either methionine or S-methyl-L-cysteine. Supplemental glycine or serine partially alleviated the growth depression caused by the high levels of methionine but were ineffective in alleviating the growth depression caused by high levels of S-methylcysteine. Histological examination of five organs of rats fed the basal, high methionine or high S-methylcysteine diet for 6, 13 or 20 days revealed that only the spleens were affected in that there was erythrocyte engorgement and an accumulation of hemosiderin. The intensity of iron staining in spleens decreased from the second to the third week. The similarity in the depression of growth and splenic damage observed in rats consuming high levels of methionine or S-methylcysteine is consistent with an earlier suggestion that metabolism of the methyl group is in some way involved in the toxicity of methionine.

KEY WORDS: • methionine • S-methyl-L-cysteine • sulfur amino acids • hemosiderin

¹ Research supported by funds from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison and by Public Health Service Research Grant #AM15227.

Manuscript received 29 January 1976.