662 PANTOTHENIC ACID 



ducks became weak, grew poorly, had lowered pantothenic acid content 

 of the blood, and had sticky eyelids, while the control ducks fed pantothenic 

 acid appeared "entirely normal." More extensive studies have been made 

 by Hegsted and Perry,^^'* who found that 3- to 4-day-old ducks very rapidly 

 develop acute pantothenic acid deficiency when placed on a synthetic diet 

 low in pantothenic acid. In these studies ducks failed to grow after only 2 

 or 3 days on the diet and usually died within 4 to 7 days, whereas positive 

 control ducks with pantothenic acid gained as much as an average of 35 

 g. per day for 10 days. It may be pointed out that no other animal has been 

 reported to show such marked effects in such a short period when fed panto- 

 thenic acid-low diets. 



Because of the obvious importance of pantothenic acid for the duck, this 

 species has been useful in studying the effect of a deficiency of this vitamin 

 on the metabolism of tissues. Olson and Kaplan,"^ in 1948, and Olson and 

 Stare, ^^^ in 1951, reported that coenzyme A values of liver and heart tissues 

 of pantothenic acid-deficient ducks fell 50 to 70 % in only 5 days and that 

 there was a decreased ability of the tissues to metabolize pyruvic acid. In 

 these two studies, ducks 7 days old were used in order to obtain better sur- 

 vival. The authors reported the occurrence of anorexia, conjunctivitis, and 

 decreased feed efficiency in the deficient ducks. Dermatitis was noted in 

 these studies, ^'^^ although Hegsted and Perry^^'* did not observe dermatitis 

 in their ducks. 



Some of the earliest studies on what is now known as pantothenic acid 

 were made with the pigeon, although the diets were complicated with other 

 deficiencies.^^' ^^- 137-140 a^^ least part of the activity of vitamin 63,*^ first 

 discovered in 1928, may probably be explained by pantothenic acid. Lee 

 and Hogan first used pure pantothenic acid in the pigeon and reported, in 

 1942, that this vitamin was needed for growth and for prevention of ane- 

 mia. ^^^ Additional studies with the pigeon, with the use of nutritionally 

 complete diets, are needed. 



No reports have appeared on pantothenic acid deficiency in pheasants, 

 quail, geese, guinea, and other fowl, although presumably these animals 

 also require pantothenic acid. 



" D. M. Hegsted and R. L. Perry, J. Nutrition 35, 411 (1948). 



35 R. E. Olson and N. O. Kaplan, /. Biol. Chem. 175, 515 (1948). 



3« R. E. Olson and F. J. Stare, /. Biol. Chem. 190, 149 (1951). 



" R. R. Williams and R. E. Waterman, /. Biol. Chem. 78, 311 (1928). 



38 C. W. Carter and J. R. O'Brien, Biochem. J. 30, 43 (1936). 



33 C. W. Carter and J. R. O'Brien, Biochem. J. 33, 1810 (1939). 



*'> C. W. Carter, H. W. Kinnersley, and R. A. Peters, Biochem. J. 24, 1832 (1930). 



" J. G. Lee and A. G. Hogan, Missouri Agr. Expt. Sta. Research Bull. 342 (1942). 



