Studies on dietary choline defficiency in the rats fed on isolated groundnut protein.

At 20% isolated groundnut protein and 0.01 % choline in the diet, the fatty
infiltration in the livers during the earlier weeks of growth was 26-30% on
fresh weight as compared to 11 % in the livers of rats maintained on 10% of
the same protein and 0.01 % choline. Xanthine and succinic oxidase activities
were significantly increased and comparable to the group provided with an
optional supplement of choline (0.1 %) at the end of 16 weeks. Significant
increase in the non-protein nitrogenous fraction was observed in the choline
deficient group in the early stages. The major increase in liver lipids (stainable
fat) was concurrent with a significant decrease of liver phospholipids in the
choline deficient group. Histological studies provided further evidence that fatty
metamorphosis of the liver by itself did not lead to hepatic necrosis or cirrhosis
and that even at this stage of abnormal centrolobular fatty infiltration, parenchymal
damage had not taken place. The functional portal tract remained
unaffected even in the initial stages of very severe centrolobular fatty infiltration
of the livers of the choline deficient rats. At the end of 16 weeks, the liver
sections of rats in this group showed normal histological picture excepting for
a few fatty vacuoles. The results are discussed in the light of the importance
of choline in both experimental and clinical nutrition.