Serum C3 content in vitamin B(12)-deficient rats.
As a clue to clarifying the role of vitamin B12 (B12) in the function of the complement system, serum C3 content was determined in B12-deficient rats, and the effect of the administration of methylcobalamin (CH3-B12) on the serum C3 content was also studied. It was found that the serum C3 content in rats fed on a vitamin B12-deficient diet for 90 and 120 days significantly decreased compared with that in control rats. The administration of CH3-B12) restored the serum C3 content to control levels. The above results indicate that B12-deficiency depressed the serum C3 content and lowered humoral immunocompetence, and that these changes were ascribable to B12-deficiency.
Wada
M
M
Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Japan.
Kawata
T
T
Yamada
K
K
Funada
U
U
Kuwamori
M
M
Endo
M
M
Tanaka
N
N
Tadokoro
T
T
Maekawa
A
A
D000818:Animals; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D003176:Complement C3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D004032:Diet; D008297:Male; D008764:Methylmalonic Acid / Q000652:urine; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014806:Vitamin B 12 Deficiency / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology
D001798:Blood Proteins; D003176:Complement C3; D008764:Methylmalonic Acid; C019476:mecobalamin; D014805:Vitamin B 12