Lathyrism in the Rat

Abstract

Lathyrism was produced in both young and adult rats by feeding diets which contained Lathyrus odoratus, the flowering sweet pea. Growth of the young animals was retarded by sweet peas when they were fed as 80 per cent, 50 per cent and 25 per cent of the diet. However, normal growth was obtained for 20 weeks with 12.5 per cent and 5 per cent of sweet peas. Other symptoms of lathyrism noted were lameness, spinal curvature, sternal curvature, enlargement of the costochondral junctions, and malformation and abnormal red color of the long bones. Calcification was interfered with in young animals. The decided reddish color of the bones harmonized with a slight polycythemia and increased hemoglobin content of the blood. Hernias were also observed. The young animals received no protection against the toxicity of the sweet peas from cod liver oil or cod liver oil concentrate, or from dried yeast. However, the adult animals were protected to some extent by the inclusion of 2 per cent of cod liver oil in the ration. Cooking the sweet peas for 2-1/2 hours did not destroy their toxicity. The toxic factor was extractable from the peas by water at the boiling point. The sweet peas used by us proved to be a better source of vitamin A than any other seeds previously studied, since normal growth was secured on a diet in which 5 per cent of sweet peas was the only source of vitamin A.