TOrOPHEROLS I\ VARIOT\S ^[ETAROLIC PROCESSES /4.) 



antioxidant effect of leiicomethjdene blue, and they consider that a series 

 of other su])stances may have a similar effect. In contradistinction to 

 these findings, Moore and co-workei's''^'^''^^ noted that the red blood cells 

 of rats were not protected b_v methylene blue from hemolysis by dialuric 

 a(;id. Moreover, Johnson and Goodyear^'"' reported that DPPD gave a 

 negative response in restoring this function. Rose and Gyorgy^'"' also 

 obtained negative results with fat-soluble alkyl hydroquinones. Because 

 of the decisiveness of the positive results of the Dam group, on the one 

 hand, and that of the negati\'e results of Moore and co-workers on the 

 other hand, one is forced to reserve judgment at the present time as to 

 which effect is the more usual physiologic response. 



(e) Protection against Exudative Diathesis and Encephalomalacia in 

 Chicks. Dam and co-workers,^-- and Miller et aZ. '*'*■* both reported that 

 methylene blue cured both exudative diathesis and encephalomalacia in 

 the chick. DPPD also gave positive results in these chick deficiencies 

 according to Singsen et al.,'^^- and Bunnell and co-workers, '*^^ but Scott 

 et al.'^^^^ failed to confirm this result. Bunnell and associates'*^ also 

 obtained a positive effect with fat-soluble alkyl hydroquinone, but Scott 

 and Norris**^ reported a negative result. Neither the Dam group^-^ nor 

 Scott and Norris"*^' were able to demonstrate any positi\'e effect exerted by 

 a-tocoquinone or by a-tocohj^lroquinone on the chick deficiency syndrome. 

 The industrially important antioxidant, nordihydroguaiaretic acid (ND- 

 GA) was found to afford some protection against exudati\'e diathesis in 

 chicks. '^2 •'•'^ Antabuse was found to pro\nde some protection against 

 exudative diathesis, but it was not effective against encephalomalacia in 

 the chick. ^-- 



(/) Miscellaneous Effects of Methylene Blue and of Related Antioxidants 

 in Counteracting Vitamin E Deficiency. There appears to be unanimity of 

 opinion that methylene blue feeding increases the retention of vitamin A 

 in the livers of rats and of chicks on a \'itamin E-deficient diet.'-®'*"-*^^ 

 Antabuse has likewise been shown by the Dam group'*-" to protect liver 

 vitamin A. Aaes-J0rgensen et al.^^'^ reported that methylene blue and 

 Antabuse protect against the depigmentation of the incisors of rats which 



^" D. H. Heard, T. Moore, and I. M. Sharman, Biochem. J., 52, i (1952). 



"^ R. F. :Mmer, G. Small, and L. C. Norris, /. Nutrition, 55, 81-95 (1955). 



^« R. H. Bunnell, L. D. Matterson, E. P. Singsen, L. M. Potter, A. Kozeff, and E. L. 

 Jungherr, Poultry Set., 33, 1046 (1954). 



««" M. L. Scott, F. W. Hill, L. C. Norris, D. O. Dobson, and T. S. Nelson, J. Nutrition, 

 56, 387-402 (1955). 



■•** H. Dam, I. Kriise, I. Prango, and E. S0ndergaard, Biochem. Biophys. Ada, 2, 501- 

 513 (1948). 



