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Nutritional Studies with the Guinea Pig

Two Figures

Laboratory of Biochemistry and Nutrition, National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service, U. S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare

Young guinea pigs, supplied with a "synthetic" diet lacking pantothenic acid, developed deficiency symptoms characterized by a decrease in the rate of growth, followed by a loss of weight, roughening of the coat, a tendency to diarrhea, anorexia, weakness, inactivity and eventual death. The internal symptoms were a decrease in fat deposition, with hyperemia, enlargement, and, in some cases, hemorrhages of the adrenals. The rate of onset of the deficiency was found to be related to the age and weight at which the animals were placed on the diet. Preliminary studies indicate no clear evidence of a disturbance of the blood picture in the early and mid-stage of the deficiency.

The young guinea pig's requirement of pantothenic acid appears to be between 15 and 20 mg per kg of diet. In older animals the requirement appears to be less. Unlike the rat, no benefit appeared to be derived from the presence of large amounts of ascorbic acid in the deficient diet.