IX. EFFECTS OF DEFICIENCY 173 



a corrective aiul prexentive eJTect on this anemia as measured by hemo- 

 giobiii concentration, hematocrit reading, and white count. The occurrence 

 of hydrocephahhs in about 2 % of the young offspring of rats on a purified 

 ration has been noted." This abnormahty can be largely prevented by the 

 addition of [Jteroylglutamic acid to the maternal diet. A high incidence of 

 infarction of the spleen has been noted in PGA deficiency in young rats 

 i)ut not in control rats receiving 5 7 of this factor per day.^^ 



b. Production of PGA Dcjiciencij by Stress of Other Deficiencies 



Deficiencies of PGA can be induced by the stress of other vitamin de- 

 ficiencies as well as by inhibition of intestinal synthesis by use of sulfonam- 

 ides. In a series of studies by Kornberg et al.,'^-^^ granulocytopenia was ob- 

 served in a small percentage of animals fed diets not containing 

 sulfonamides. This dj^scrasia was also produced by feeding diets low in 

 pantothenic acid, and under these conditions the symptoms of anemia, 

 leucopenia, granulocytopenia, and hypoplasia of the bone marrow w^hich 

 are characteristic of PGA deficiency could be corrected by pantothenic acid 

 alone. The similarity of the blood dyscrasia observed in pantothenic acid 

 deficiency with that found in pteroylglutamic acid deficiency is evidence 

 of a relationship between these two factors. 



Folic acid concentrates have been reported to be effective in restoring 

 the color of black rats which had turned grey on diets containing sulfaguan- 

 idine.i^ The well-established role of pantothenic acid in the control of hair 

 color in the rat suggests a possible relationship in the metabohsm of PGA 

 and pantothenic acid. Addition of sulfasuxidine to a purified diet containing 

 adeciuate amounts of the vitamin B complex produces a reduction in the 

 hepatic storage of PGA and pantothenic acid. No change occurs in the 

 riboflavin and nicotinic acid contents of the liver. Increasing the dietary 

 intake of pantothenic acid failed to increase growth or to alleviate the typi- 

 cal pantothenic acid deficiency symptoms such as alopecia, spectacled 

 eye, porphyrin-caked whiskers, and achromotrichia. Administration of 

 crystaUine biotin and a folic acid concentrate did produce resumption of 

 gro\nh, alleviate the symptoms, and increase the pantothenic and PGA 

 contents of the hver. 



" L. R. Richardson and A. G. Hogan, J. Nutrition 32, 459 (1946). 



'=' C. F. Asenjo, /. Nutrition 36, 601 (1948). 



" A. Kornberg, F. S. Daft, and W. H. Sebrell, Proc. Soc. Exptl. Biol. Med 68. 46 



(1945). 

 " A. Kornberg, F. S. Daft, and W. H. Sebrell, Public Health Repts. (U. S ) 60. 1201 



(1945). 

 '5 A. Kornberg, F. S. Daft, and W. H. Sebrell, Arch. Biochem. 8, 431 (1945). 

 "A. Kornberg, F. S. Daft, and W. H. Sebrell, Science 103, 646 (1946). 

 " G. J. Martin, Proc. Soc. Exptl. Biol. Med. 51, 353 (1942). 



