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The Distribution of Thiamine in the Embryonated Hen Egg

II. The Content of Embryonic Tissues¹

One Figure

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York

The thiamine concentration and content of the organs and tissues of 15-day and 18-day chick embryos, and of day-old chicks, were determined by the macro fermentation method. In the 18-day embryo the liver showed the highest concentration (4.5 µg/100 gm), followed by kidney (2.4), brain (1.8), muscle (1.8), gastrointestinal tract (1.0), and heart (1.0). The embryo at this stage showed a concentration of 1.1, the yolk 1.5, with the membranes and fluids intermediate. The corresponding values for the 15-day embryo are similar but those for the one-day chick are generally lower.

The total content is greater in the brain at 15 days than in the liver (1.5 as compared to 1.0 µg). By 18 days the liver contains the most thiamine (2.0 µg), followed by brain (1.4), gastrointestinal tract (1.3), kidney (0.3), and heart (0.1). In the day-old chick, liver and gastrointestinal tract have high thiamine contents (3.2 and 2.9), followed by brain (1.1), yolk (0.5) and heart (0.3). These values are compared with those previously reported for embryo and adult tissues.

Manuscript received 17 December 1948.