CREATINE SYNTHESIS BY RAT LIVER, IN VITRO, AS INFLUENCED BY CARBON TETRACHLORIDE AND DIETARY VITAMIN E

¹ Department of Animal Husbandry and Nutrition, Alabama Polytechnic Institute, Auburn, Alabama
² Ralston Purina Research Laboratories, St. Louis, Mo.

Carbon tetrachloride injected into young rats on a 10 per cent casein diet deficient in vitamin E resulted in a decrease, to less than one-third of the control value, in the ability of liver slice to synthesize creatine from guanidoacetic acid and methionine. Muscle creatine diminished significantly, urine creatine increased three-fold, and liver creatine increased slightly. The same changes to a lesser degree were noted in vitamin E deficient rats.

Dietary vitamin E prevented, or markedly lessened the changes in creatine metabolism due to carbon tetrachloride. These results were interpreted as showing that under the conditions employed, the toxicity of carbon tetrachloride was due to precipitation of an acute vitamin E deficiency.

The level of carbon tetrachloride injected (0.05 ml./wk.) was sufficiently low so that no extensive damage to cellular composition or architecture of the liver occurred.