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The Nutritive Value of Some Legumes. Lathyrism in the Rat. The Sweet Pea (Lathyrus Odoratus), Lathyrus Sativus, Lathyrus Cicera and Some Other Species of Lathyrus¹

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Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

The nutritive values of the seeds of a number of species of Lathyrus of importance in human or animal nutrition when fed at a level of 50% with 10% of a biologically superior protein (casein) and with adequate minerals and vitamins have been studied in young white rats.

In confirmation of the studies of Geiger, Steenbock and Parsons ('33), nutritive failure and experimental lathyrism resulted when young white rats were fed diets containing ground sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus). Since the diets contained also 10% (in a few experiments, 25%) of casein, a protein or amino acid deficiency is not believed to be a causative factor.

The condition is believed to be associated with the presence of an intoxicant, which is stable to heat (24 hours at 80°, 6 hours at 120° in an autoclave) and which can be extracted readily by cold water or 30% alcohol. The extracted sweet pea meal was not toxic.

Although roentgenological and pathological observations indicated certain changes suggestive of scurvy, the addition of 12mg of ascorbic acid daily to the diet failed to prevent lathyrism. The ascorbic acid content of the blood and tissues of rats fed the sweet pea diet and the sweet pea diet plus ascorbic acid was the same as that of control animals of the same age fed the usual stock diet. When liver extract was added to the sweet pea diet, the development of lathyrism was neither prevented nor delayed.

When phytin was added to our control (white pea) diets, no toxicity was observed.

Lathyrus sativus and cicera showed no toxicity and promoted growth as effectively as did the edible white split pea of commerce. Lathyrus aphaca was nontoxic, but was inferior in growth promotion to the other species.

Lathyrus hirsutus, tingitanus, sphaericus, and sylvestris Wagneri were toxic, and the last three were unacceptable to the rats (they are listed in order of increasing toxicity). Of these, Lathyrus sylvestris Wagneri was most acutely toxic and appeared to contain a toxic substance which produced marked injury to the nervous system. The toxic material of L. tingitanus, sphaericus and sylvestris Wagneri could be extracted by 30% alcohol and the extracted meal was effective in promoting growth.

With the species less acutely toxic (L. hirsutus and tingitanus), it was possible to obtain the skeletal changes described as typical of lathyrism.

Manuscript received 14 May 1948.