440 VITAMIN K GROUP 



gel the cytoplasm of Arhacia punctulata eggs, stimulating parthenogenesis;^* 

 and inhibit respiration of these sea urchin eggs.^'^ Respiration of Plasmodium 

 knowlesi and of yeast cells is also depressed.-^ 



In mammals a variety of actions, which seem unrelated to its blood 

 coagulating function, has been attributed to vitamin K. For example: 

 Chamorro''* administered 10 to 20 mg. of vitamin K daily to prepubertal 

 rabbits over a 2-week period ; mammary, uterine, and vaginal changes were 

 of the estrogenic type. Somewhat similar estrogenic effects have been ob- 

 served in the guinea pig and rat.*^ Vitamin K administered in conjunction 

 with follicular hormone is reported to elevate the prothrombin level of 

 normal tomcats.^" In one case of breast malignancy vitamin K seemed to 

 oppose the action of stilbestrol.^^ Another reported correlation between 

 vitamin K and hormones is the apparently successful treatment of Rh- 

 sensitized pregnant women with the vitamin plus progesterone.^- WooUey^^ 

 was able to induce toxic changes in pregnant rats and mice with a-tocoph- 

 erolquinone; these were apparently a manifestation of the quinone, for 

 vitamin K but not a-tocopherol prevented the toxicity. Chauchard et al.^'^ 

 noted peripheral nerve chronaxial alterations in the vitamin K-deficient 

 rat; changes were also induced by either menadione or dicoumarol treat- 

 ment, but not if both were given together. Muscle strip sensitivity to acetyl- 

 choline and potassium is increased by vitamin K according to Torda and 

 Wolff. ^^ Vitamin K is said to lower glutathione in the blood of man or the 

 dog,^" elevate the blood sugar of children, ^^ reduce the cholesterolemia of 

 parkinsonian encephalitis,^^ elevate the depressed concentration of platelets 

 produced by salicylate therapy,^^ alter the serologic reaction and erythro- 

 cyte sedimentation rates of syphilitic patients,*" raise plasma euglobulin 



^6 A. Halaban, Biol. Bull. 97, 240 (1949). 



^■' C. B. Anfinsen, J. Cellular Comp. Physiol. 29, 323 (1947). 



^8 A. Chamorro, Compt. rend. sac. biol. 140, 498 (1946). 



" F. Vicari and M. Gaglio, Boll. soc. Hal. biol. sper. 23, 1142 (1947) ; T. Paladino, ibid. 



24, 303 (1948); V. Truglio and G. Arcidiacono, ibid. 24, 1059 (1948). 

 50 E. Szirmai, Gynaecologia 133, 163 (1952). 

 " G. G. Binnie, Brit. J. Radiol. [N. S.] 24, 691 (1951). 

 52 P. B. Hoffman and D. E. Edwards, Am. J. Obslet. Gynecol. 59, 207 (1950); L. J. 



Paquette and J. T. Schmitz, Wisconsin Med. J. 51, 473 (1952). 

 " D. W. Woolley, ./. Biol. Chem. 159, 59 (1945). 

 " P. Chauchard, H. Mazoue, and R. Lecoq, Compt. rend. soc. biol. 140, 474 (1946); 



R. Lecoq, P. Chauchard, and H. Mazoue, ibid. 140, 743 (1946). 

 " C. Torda and H. G. Wolff, Exptl. Med. Surg. 4, 50 (1946). 

 5* E. Azerad, Seeman, and Obadia, Semaine hop. Paris 27, 110 (1951). 

 " L. Nassi, Boll. soc. ital. biol. sper. 24, 706 (1948). 



58 G. Fattovich, Acta Vitaminol. 1, 26 (1946); Abstr. Intern. Z. Vitaminforsch. 20, 

 328 (1948). 



59 M. Pellegrini and M. Ghirlanda, II Progr. med. 5, 434 (1948); Abstr. Intern. Z 

 Vitaminforsch. 21, 381 (1949-1950). 



«o G. Buccellato, Boll. soc. ital. biol. sper. 24, 126, 127 (1948). 



