THE EFFECT OF THIAMINE HYDROCHLORIDE ON THE ENERGY VALUE OF DEXTROSE STUDIED IN RATS BY THE SINGLE FOOD CHOICE METHOD

Abstract

33 5 rats, fed glucose and tap water, lived 36 days (avg.), whereas control rats, given only tap water, lived 4 days. The glucose animals were very active during the first 20 days on the diet, but nearly totally inactive in the last wk. of life. The food and water intake and body wt. declined steadily during the expt., but the animals showed no specific signs of nutritional deficiency except marked emaciation and a constant state of diestrous as revealed by daily vaginal smears. When 24 comparable rats were given access to a 0.02% soln. of thiamine hydro-chloride in addition to the glucose and tap water they survived twice as long, avg. 74 days. Their food intake declined much more slowly, and they required twice as long to achieve the same loss in body wt. The intake of thiamine hydrochloride per g. of glucose showed a steady decrease from 60 to 40 [gamma] during the first 35 days, followed by a gradual increase to nearly 100 [gamma] during the last 10 days before death. These animals also differed from the glucose controls in maintaining their activity over a much longer period of time, and in developing signs of vit. A deficiency before death, as evidenced by constant cornification of the vaginal smears in all rats and beginning keratitia in 20 of 24.