QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kang-Lee, Y. A. Articles by Jope, R. S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kang-Lee, Y. A. Articles by Jope, R. S.

Metabolic Effects of Nicotinamide Administration in Rats^1,2,

University of California at Los Angeles Schools of Public Health and Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90024

Male rats fed a 12% casein diet without choline were injected i.p. daily for 2 or 5 weeks with either saline or 6, 20 or 60 mg of nicotinamide (NAM) per 100 g body weight. Weight gain, food intake and gain/food were lower for the NAM-treated groups compared to the controls. Urinary excretion of the major metabolite, N¹-methylnicotinamide (NMN) increased with increasing dose of NAM. NAM administration did not alter the activity of hepatic nicotinamide methyltransferase. Excretion of another metabolite, N¹-methyl-2-pyridone-5-carboxamide (2-PYR) was low and showed minimal changes in response to NAM administration. NAM administration did not affect urinary creatinine excretion. Livers of the NAM-injected groups were hypertrophied, and the total lipid content was increased. Kidney hypertrophy was also noted. Plasma and liver choline levels were decreased in response to NAM administration. We conclude that chronic NAM administration resulted in a methyl-group deficiency state due to the greatly increased need for methylation of NAM.

KEY WORDS: • nicotinamide administration • methylation • N¹-methylnicotinamide excretion • fatty liver • choline

¹ Supported by U.S. Department of Agriculture grant #59-2065-1-1661-0.

² Abstract has been presented at the annual meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, New Orleans, LA, April, 1982, Fed. Proc. 41, 471, 1982.

³ Reprint requests should be sent to Marian E. Swendseid, Ph.D., School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024.

Manuscript received 6 July 1982.