The Effect of 2-Amino-2-Methyl-1-Propanol on the Incidence of Kidney Lesions in Male Rats of Different Ages Fed Diets Low in Choline

Abstract

A low-choline diet containing 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol was fed to male rats, starting at three to 20 weeks of age. When the drug was fed at a level of 10 mg per gram of food, hemorrhages appeared in the kidneys of the three- to 5-week-old animals in 4 to 7 days, and in the 6- to 8-week-old animals in from 8 to 10 days. Kidney lesions occurred in all animals of the three- to 5-week-old group in from 5 to 7 days and in all animals of the 6- to 8-week-old group in from 6 to 9 days. Death occurred in the three- to 5-week animals in from 6 to 9 days. One animal of the 7-week-old group died on the 12th day, while none of the 6- and 8-week groups had died by the 10th and 12th day, respectively. When the diet containing 10 mg of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol per gram of food was fed to 9-, 10-, and 12-week-old rats, only 17, 27, and 13%, respectively, had hemorrhagic kidneys in from 11 to 13 days. None of the rats in this group died during this time. When the diet containing 20 mg of drug per gram of food was fed to animals 9 to 20 weeks of age, 85 to 100% had hemorrhagic kidneys in from 9 to 13 days. Six of the animals in this group died during this period. During the onset of the hemorrhagic condition there was a decrease in food consumption and growth rate of the animals of all ages. Animals either on low choline diets without the drug or on diets containing both chloine chloride (5 mg per gram of food) and 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (10 and 20 mg per gram of food) ate well, grew well and developed no hemorrhagic kidneys during the experimental period.