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Effect of Propionate on the Induction of Vitamin B₁₂ Deficiency in Chicks and Rats¹

Department of Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma School of Medicine and Biochemistry Section, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Division of Nutritional Biochemistry, Department of Animal Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois

A study was made to devise dietary conditions for the induction of simple vitamin B₁₂ deficiency in experimental animals without the delay and complications involved in methods routinely used. Chicks maintained with a purified vitamin B₁₂-deficient diet showed a marked decrease in liver methylmalonyl-CoA mutase activity. Because of the role of vitamin B₁₂ co-enzyme in the metabolism of propionate, branched-chain fatty acids, lysine and isoleucine, a study was carried out to examine the growth of chicks with diets containing these metabolites. The compounds tested included formate, lysine, propionate, butyrate and isoleucine. Vitamin B₁₂ deficiency in terms of growth depression was markedly accentuated by the presence of sodium formate and sodium propionate at 5% levels. None of the other additions had a similar effect when incorporated in the vitamin B₁₂-deficient rations. In rats, vitamin B₁₂ prevented growth depression caused by 2% sodium propionate. In addition, propionate markedly reduced liver methylmalonyl-CoA mutase activity both in the presence and absence of the vitamin in the diet.

² Present address: Department of Biological Chemistry, Harvard Medical School, Boston.

³ Present address: Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansan Nagar, New Delhi 16, India.

Manuscript received 1 June 1967.