Effect of Phthalylsulfathiazole on Growth and Reproduction of Rats Fed a Soybean Protein Ration.

Abstract

The growth and reproductive performance of female rats was studied whose ration (commercial soybean protein, DL-methionine, hydrogenated vegetable oil, corn oil, salts, sucrose and all available pure vitamins except ascorbic acid and B12) contained 2% phthalylsulfathiazole (sulfathalidine). Littermates were fed the ration without the sulfonamide. The ration containing sulfathalidine supported better performance by every criterion applied. However, the differences in favor of this ration were significant only with respect to the incidence of acute uremia of the newborn, the 21-day weaning wt. of the young and the wt. change of the mothers during lactation. Among the litters born to mothers on the basal ration a 35% incidence of acute uremia of the newborn was observed, while no cases of this syndrome were found among the young of mothers fed the sulfonamide.