670 PANTOTHENIC ACID 



whiskers have also been observed in white rats. These findings have been 

 observed in mice,^*'^ ratSj^"^ foxes,^"^ dogs,^" and monkeys.^"* 



b. Corneal changes, consisting of vascularization, thickening, and opac- 

 ity of the cornea.^''^ 



c. A tendency for fatty infiltration of the liver .^'''^ 



d. Atrophy of the adrenal cortex with necrosis and hemorrhage in about 

 50 % of the animals.^^^-^''^ The hemorrhagic lesion is probably present in 

 animals on the deficient diet who are stressed. 



e. Failure of spermatogenesis due to necrosis of the tubular cells of the 

 testes.^"* 



/. Delay or absence of the estrus cycle. ^'^ 



g. Neurological lesions. Deficiency of pantothenic acid in the chick causes 

 widespread myelin degeneration of the spinal cord^" • -^- and in swine^^^"^^^ 

 ataxia with sensory neuron damage. 



h. Reproduction. Hatchability of eggs is decreased in hens on a deficient 

 diet and can be markedly increased when pantothenic acid is added to the 

 diet.^^^ In rats, fetal abnormalities^^^ have been observed as a result of pan- 

 tothenic acid deficiency, and interestingly enough the lesions involved prin- 

 cipally the nervous system. Absence of the eyes occurred and the ocular 

 globe and optic nerve could not be found. Massive diencephalus and altera- 

 tion in the morphology of the brain were also observed. 



3. Pathological Lesions in Human Beings Suggestive of a 

 Deficiency of Pantothenic Acid 



a. Effect of Administration of Large Doses of Pantothenic Acid in Certain 

 Clinical Conditions 



(1) Graying of the Hair. Human subjects with gray hair have been given 

 large amounts of calcium pantothenate orally, and its effect on the color of 



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206 A. E. Schaefer, C. K. Whitehair, and C. A. Elvehjem, /. Nutrition 34, 131 (1947). 



207 R. H. Silber, /. Nutrition 27, 425 (1944). 



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211 J. H. Shaw and P. H. Phillips, J. Nutrition 29, 107 (1945). 



212 P. H. Phillips and R. W. Engel, J. Nutrition 18, 227 (1939). 



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