The author reported the histopathologic changes of the various organs induced by long term administrations of large doses of red pepper, and the influences of the various diets (high fat, high carbohydrate, high protein-high carbohydrate diet) and of lipotropic substances such as choline and methionine upon the toxic effects of red pepper in the previous papers.
The changes of the liver which were showing the early cirrhotic pictures were significant one, among the changes of the various organs and this findings were aggravated by concomitant feeding with high fat diet, while high protein-high carbohydrate diet and 200mg. of choline by month inhibited the changes but high carhohydrate diet and 200mg. of methionine by month did not respectively.
Almost none of the papers investigated the metabolic changes in the experimental animals fed with red pepper could be seen in literatures.
This report, then, deals with the specific laboratory tests the follow-up studies for the metabolic changes which might be occurred in the experimental animals fed with large doses of red pepper.
Sixty rabbits with average body weight of 2kg. were devided into 7 groups. All groups received the standard diet plus modification as follows : group G received the standard diet and served as control. Group A was fed added red pepper, Group B (high fat diet group) added 8 mg. of butter and red pepper. group C (high carbohydrate diet group) added 60mg of wheat flour and red pepper, group D (high protein-high cartehydrate diet group) added 20mg of wheat flour and 50gm. of dry skimmed milk with red pepper, group E added choline and red peprer, and group F added methionine and red pepper.
The standard diet was composed of 200gm. of bean curd refuse, 50mg. of wheat flour daily and 50mg. of vagetables twice weekly. All groups except the control group G were administered 5mg. of red pepper powder per kg. of body- weight dailly through the experiment.
The bloodd collection for· the various tests was done by the cardiac puncture (arierial blood) in the early morning. ´the blood for the ammonia check was from the vein ell the ear lobe. The experiment was continued for 12 months, and the weights of rabbits and the various tests were performed once in a month.
The results of experiment are summarized as follows :
1) In the experimental group fed with the large doses of red pepper, the body weights were increased until 6 month of the experiment, then decreased belolv the initial body weight. total protein was decreased to the lower limits of the normal value at the end of the experiment.
Decreasing in albumin and increasing In f-globulin were noted by paper electrophoretic fractionation from the later half of the experiment, and no abnormal changes were observed in a1-a2 and f-globulin. Albumin to globulin ratios were decreased from the later half.
The blood ammonia levels were increased to the upper limits of the normal level from the later half of the experiments. No abnormal changes were observed in B.U. N. and creatinine levels.
Significant increasing in the values of the serum total cholesterol, its ester and phospholipid were observed from the later half of the experiment, and the values of the cholesterol ester ratio to total cholesterol were decreased. Increasing in the β-lipoprotein were noted with highly significant increase in β-lipoprotein cholestcrol levels.
The blood sugar levels were changed markedly the normal range.
Serum GO-transaminase and GP-transaminase activities were markedly increased from the later half of the experiment, but not so great changes were observed in alkaline phosphatase activities.
Serum bilinbin contents, thymol turbidity and cephalin cholesterol flocculation test were not altered. Hemoglobin levels, red blood cell and White blood cell counts were decreased at the end of the experiment, and the relative Iymphopenia were observed from the later half.
2) The administration of the high fat diet with red pepper aggravated the above mentioned changes to a more early and intensive degree.
3) The high protein-high carbohydrate diet and oral administration of 200 mg. choline daily with red pepper caused respectively the changes to a much lesser degree.
4) The high carbodydrate diet and oral administration of 200 mg. of methionine daily did not inhibit so greatly.
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