White Blood Cells and Lymphoid Tissue in Vitamin B6 Insufficiency

Abstract

In white rats deprived of vit. B6 there was a decrease in circulating lymphocytes. This was accompanied by atrophy of lymphoid elements and loss of cortico-medullary differentiation in the thymus, with replacement of thymic tissue by fat, which in some cases was of sufficient degree to maintain or increase the ratio of thymus to body wt. The ratio of spleen to body wt. was maintained, possibly increased. There were no histological changes in spleen or adrenals. In vit. Bg-deprived dogs there were no changes in the white blood cell picture which could be clearly ascribed to the vit. insufficiency, but when the antivit. desoxypyridoxine was fed with the vit. Bg-deficient regimen a lymphopenia occurred.