title: Effect of low-quality dietary protein on the thymus of growing rats.
abstract: The status of the thymus of growing rats fed for 45 days after weaning on a low-quality dietary protein (7.5% maize) was compared with that in an age-matched control group receiving a diet containing casein at the same concentration. At the end of the feeding period, body weight (bw) was determined and the thymus was removed; its weight and cell number and the mature T-cell population--characterized by the monoclonal antibody W3/13 using the indirect immunofluorescence technique--were determined. Thymus weight expressed as mg/bw0.75 (3.9 +/- 0.75 vs 7.7 +/- 2.0), cell number (4.4 +/- 2.2 vs 26.3 +/- 7.6), and the absolute number of W3/13+ T cells (1.59 +/- 0.75 vs 17.8 +/- 5.4) were significantly lower (p less than 0.0005) in the experimental group than in the control group. The results suggest severe atrophy of the thymus of weaning animals chronically fed a low-quality protein.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Science, School of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Slobodianik
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Pallaro
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Roux
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Rio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D011488:Protein Deficiency / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D004044:Dietary Proteins