In order to observe the metabolic changes of the rat organs the thiamine and the riboflavin contents were measured from the liver, the small intestine, the spleen and the kidney of the rats under the state of fasting and also feeding different diets w...
In order to observe the metabolic changes of the rat organs the thiamine and the riboflavin contents were measured from the liver, the small intestine, the spleen and the kidney of the rats under the state of fasting and also feeding different diets with or without the vitamin E (V-E) supplement. The rats used for the experiment were adult female albino rats from a pure strain, weighing 225 to 280g. They were divided into following six groups: the control, the high carbohydrate diet, the high carbohydrate and V-E supplement diet, the high protein diet, the high protein and V-E supplement diet, and the fasted.
The results obtained are summarized as follows:
1. During the early stage of starvation the thiamine content in the liver showed no changes compared with the control group, then. a decrease on the 8th day of the fasting whereas the contents in the small intestine and the spleen showed a decreasing tendeney from the 1st day to the 8th day of fasting.
2. In the liver and the kidney the riboflavin contens showed an increase during the starvation, whereas it did not show any remarkable change in the small intestine, compared with the control group.
3. The thiamine contents in the liver and the small intestine were lowered by the V-E enriched high carbohydrate diet compared with the non-supplemented one, whereas the content in the spleen was increased by the same diet.
4. The thiamine contents in the liver, the small intestine and the spleen were lower for the V-E supplemented diets than for the non-supplemented ones.
5. The riboflavin contents in the liver, the small intestine and the kidney showed an increase, compared with the control group, through the feeding of the high carbohydrate, whereas they showed a decrease by the supplement of V-E enrichment.
6. The riboflavin contents in the organs tested showed an increase by the high protein diet and those in the small intestine and the kidney showed a significant increase by the supplement of V-E for 20 to 30 days.
7. Therefore, the present evidence indicates that the thiamine contents of the rat organs do not change significantly the feeding of different diets. The V-E enriched high carbohydrate diet makes the thiamine and the riboflavin contents of the rat organs lower than the high carbohydrate diet. The high protein diet feeding increase the riboflavin content of the rat organs, compared with the control group, and increases more when V-E enrichment is supplemented for 20 to 30 days.
8. In view of the above results, it is supposed that the thiamine and the riboflavin have greater influence on the metabolism of nutrients in the liver than on those in the small intestine, the kidney and the spleen, while in the liver the effect on the metabolism of protein is greater than on the carbohydrate metabolism and supplement of V-E decreased the influence on the metabolism in general.