Effects of 4-Amino-Pteroylglutamic Acid in Dogs with Special Reference to Megaloblastosis.

Abstract

The admn. of 4-amino-pteroylglutamic acid to 17 dogs produced a sprue-like syndrome with diarrhea, peripheral leucopenia, depletion of bone marrow, with increased numbers of hypersegmented poly-morphonuclears and giant metamyelocytes, abnormal nuclear disintegration of normoblasts, change of nuclear pattern in ery-throid elements and megaloblasts. Doses given were lethal and animals succumbed with anorexia, wt. loss, dehydration, and hemorrhagic diarrhea following severe ileitis and ulcerative colitis. It is suggested that the syndrome results from antagonism of folic acid.