X. EFFECTS OF DEFICIENCY 555 



acid (or coenzymes) in liver and muscle shows a much better correlation 

 with the degree of nicotinic acid deficiency than most other tissues. There 

 seems to be little or no correlation between nicotinic acid levels in blood 

 and the deficiency. Furthermore, blood nicotinic acid may be depressed in 

 several pathological states other than nicotinic acid deficiency. ^^' ^^"" The 

 degree of depression in coenzyme levels in tissues such as liver and muscle 

 from deficient animals has varied greatly in different studies. In dogs with 

 acute blacktongue Kohn et alP found coenzyme levels 70 % below normal 

 in liver and 35 % below normal in striated muscle. Paradoxically, the liver, 

 which showed a decreased coenzyme level, exhibited an increase of 35 % in 

 O2 consumption, whereas kidney which showed no lowering of coenzymes 

 showed a 50 % decrease in lactate oxidation. More recent studies by Wil- 

 liams and Elvehjem^^ with rat liver homogenates from deficient animals 

 have shown a low endogenous respiratory rate which could be restored to 

 normal by the addition of coenzyme I in vitro. Other studies^^ in rats have 

 shown that survival and some growth is possible in animals having a con- 

 centration of nicotinic acid 70 % of normal in liver and 50 % of normal in 

 muscle. The type of carbohydrate in the diet appeared to influence growth 

 and survival in animals having these lowered nicotinic acid tissue levels. 

 Glucose and carbohydrates containing glucose exerted a favorable effect, 

 but fructose and sucrose had the opposite effect.-^ 



Factors other than nicotinic acid deficiency have been reported to lower 

 nicotinic acid tissue levels. Although simple starvation does not have this 

 effect,^^ a protein-free diet,"*"' "^^ a low protein diet,^^ and a vitamin B-free 

 ration** do have this effect in rats. Deficiencies of thiamine and riboflavin 

 also have been reported to lower liver nicotinic acid.**- ** Cobalt deficiency 

 has been reported to lower blood nicotinic acid in sheep .^^ 



Administration of nicotinic acid or tryptophan to deficient or normal sub- 

 jects results in a rise in blood and tissue nicotinic acid sometimes, especially 



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