Red Staining of Paws and Whiskers as in Vitamin B 2 -Complex Deficient Rats after Dehydration

The accumulation of red material on the paws, nose, whiskers and periorbital regions of rats has been attributed to a deficiency of the vitamin G (B₂) complex in these animals. 1 Although originally described as blood staining, recent investigations have shown that this dried red stained material consists primarily of porphyrin compounds, 2 3 although a small amount of blood may be present.

The lesions have been described in rats on both riboflavin-deficient diets 3 5 and more recently on pantothenic acid-deficient diets. 4 6 McElroy 2 observed that the red material arose from the Harderian (lacrimal) glands and failed to develop in rats deprived of pantothenic acid if the Harderian glands had been previously removed.

Smith and Sprunt 5 related this phenomenon to dehydration and this observation has been confirmed recently by Figge and Atkinson. 6 The present investigation was designed to determine whether the B-vitamins fed singly or together could alter the course of the development of these lesions resulting from dehydration.

One hundred and three rats were used and grouped as shown in Table I.

In order to impose the same strain on both groups, Purina Dog Chow was available at all times for the rats receiving no water, and water was available constantly for the rats receiving no food. Individuals in both groups began to die at approximately the same time, although the average longevity was slightly greater in the food starved rats.

The synthetic vitamins were given in water solution but the daily dose per rat including those containing the 7 vitamins was always contained in one drop of solution.

In the water-deprived rats food consumption fell off in a short while. This includes, of course, the consumption of brewer's yeast in Group G, which naturally obscures the full effect of this source of natural B-complex vitamins.