NARAIN DAS KEHAR AND V. V. S.
MURTY
185
Total cholesterol. For cholesterol estimation the
technique described by Banerji [1933] was followed.
The average values for cholesterol (Table II) fell
from 186 mg. per cent in the control group to 115
mg. in the low protein group. Shelburne [1934]
and Page et al. [1937], however, found that the
change from normal to low protein diet had no
consistent effect on the cholesterol content of the
blood.
Calcium. Serum calcium was determined by
Clark and Collip's [1925] modification of Kramer
and Tisdall's [1921] method. The average values
for serum calcium as shown in Table II are 10.4
(minimum 9.4 ; maximum 11.2) mg. per cent in
the control group and 9.7 (minimum 8.2 ; maximum
10.3) mg. per cent in the protein-deficient group.
Similar results were obtained by Wang et al. [1930-
31] with young women on low-nitrogen diet.
Magnesium. Serum magnesium was estimated
by the method of Fiske and Subbarow [1925] as
modified by Holzapfel [1934]. Average values for
the control group were 2.78 (minimum 2.61 ; maxi-
mum 3.06) and 2.54 (minimum 1.76 ; maximum
3.15) mg. per cent for the protein-deficient group.
Inorganic phosphorus. Serum inorganic phos-
phorus was estimated by the method of Fiske and
Subbarow [1925]. Average values for the control
and protein-deficient groups are 4.26 mg. per cent
(minimum 3.70 ; maximum 6.20) and 4.11 (mini-
mum 3.32 ; maximum 5.67) mg. per cent respectively.
Protein fractions. Serum protein fractions were
estimated by the method devised by Campbell and
Hanna [1937] with slight modifications adopted
by Kehar et al. [1940].
TABLE III
Serum-protein fractions in normal and protein-deficient bullocks (gm. per cent)
—
Total protein
Non-protein nitrogen (mg. per
cent)
Euglobulin
....
Pscudoglobulin I . . .
Pscudoglobulin II . . .
Total globulin
Albumin
.
.
.
.
Globulin
Normal animals
1
8.25
35.5
0.90
2.80
0.19
3.89
4.86
1.12
2
9.19
36.5
1.00
3.06
0.32
4.38
4.81
1.10
3
8.56
32.9
1.00
2.84
016
4.00
4.56
1.14
4
8.44
36.4
1.21
2.69
0.20
4.10
4.34
1.06
Aver-
age
8.61
35.3
1.03
2.85
0.22
4.09
4.52
1.11
Protein-deficient animals
1
6.30
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
2
7.50
27.2
0.50
2.50
0.50
3.50
4 00
1.14
3
6.30
20.8
0.80
1.80
0.40
3.00
3.30
1.1
4
7.96
25.7
0.80
2.94
0.26
4.00
3.98
0.99
5
7.56
25.1
0.81
2.59
0.16
3.56
4.00
1.12
6
7.38
29.5
0.88
2.59
0.16
3.63
3.75
1.03
7
7.56
30.2
0.75
2.83
0.24
3.82
3.74
0.98
8
7.50
..
0.89
2.50
0.11
3.50
4.00
1.14
9
7.06
..
0.93
2.43
0.19
3.55
4.51
0.99
Aver-
age
7.23
26.4
0.80
2.53
0.25
3.57
3.91
1.06
It will be observed from Table III that there is
a general drop in the average values of total protein
and all the protein fractions except pseudoglobulin
11 in the protein-deficient group, as compared with
the control group. These observations regarding
the decrease in values of total protein and albumin
are in conformity with those of Frisch et al. [1929],
Weech et al. [1933], Shelburne [1934], Bloomfield
[1935] and Page et al. [1937]. Bloomfield [1933,
1935] maintained that in rats on a diet contain-
ing 10 per cent protein an initial fall of about 10
per cent occurs in the total serum protein, but
that value remains almost steady even though the
protein fraction of the diet is further reduced.
Frisch el al. [1929], however, showed that serum
protein values of rats dropped as low as 3.6 per
cent on a low-protein diet and rose to 6.9 when
casein was added to the diet. Weech el al. [1933]
and Shelburne [1934] pointed out that increase or
decrease in serum globulin was not consistent in
dogs fed on a low protein diet.
The non-protein nitrogen value in the control
group was 35.3 (minimum 32.9 ; maximum 36.5)
and 26.4 (minimum 20.8 ; maximum 30.2) in
the protein-deficient group. Russell and Weber
[1934] and Sas [1935] showed that in hens and
dogs the non-protein nitrogen remained unchanged
when the subjects were on a protein-deficient ration,
But Wang el al. [1930-31] found that the non-pro-
tein nitrogen of the blood of young women decreased
when they were transferred to a low protein diet.
Knack and Neuman [1917] pointed out that the
non-protein nitrogen fell as the rate of nitrogen
catabolism diminished.
It will be observed that the average values for
total globulin was 4.09 (minimum 3.89; maxi-
mum 4.38) in the normal animals and 3.57 (minimum
3.00 ; maximum 4.00) mg. per cent. in the protein-
deficient animals. A careful perusal of the available
literature revealed no previous record of the varia-
tions in globulin fractions as a result of a protein-
deficient diet. It will be seen from Table III that