Vitamin Interrelationships

In Paper I of this series (1) results were reported on the influence of vitamin A deficiency and of a deficiency of various components of the vitamin B complex on the ascorbic acid content of various organs and endocrine glands.It was found that in vitamin A deficiency there was a reduction in ascorbic acid of the heart, kidney, and thymus.In multiple vitamin A depletions there were also losses of ascorbic acid from the adrenals, thyroids, and pituitary.In thiamirie deficiency there were significant losses of vitamin C in the lung, kidney, and liver.Repeated thiamine depletions produced additional heavy losses of vitamin C in the kidney, liver, and thymus.In riboflavin deficiency the greatest reduction in ascorbic acid was found in single vitamin depletions.The losses were largely from the liver, kidney, lung, thymus, and thyroids.In pyridoxine deficiency no noteworthy changes occurred in ascorbic acid content of either tissues or glands.Morgan (2) reported that the administration of nicotinic acid or pantothenic acid alone to dogs receiving ample amounts of all necessary vitamins except those of the "filtrate factors" resulted in their gradual loss of neuromuscular control and sometimes sudden death.Recently Supplee and coworkers (3) found that thiamine and pantothenic acid deficiencies interfere with mobilization of riboflavin in the liver during digestion and assimilation.The influence, however, of pyridoxine deficiency on the riboflavin metabolism of the liver was very slight.