Relation of Vitamin B12 to Liver Basophilia.

Abstract

When a purified diet containing soybean oil meal as the sole source of protein was fed to weanling rats, gain in wt. was stimulated by the feeding of vit. B12. Staining with eosin and methylene blue showed little or no basophilia in the livers of the rats which received no vit. B12 and which gained slowly, but considerable basophilia in the liver cells of the rats which were fed vit. B12 and grew well. The results suggest that vit. B12 is concerned with the formation of protein.