Experimental Production of Pyridoxine Deficiency Anemia in Rats.

MICROCYTIC hypochromic anemia induced by a diet deficient in pyridoxine is well documented in swine,’ monkeys,2 dogs,3 cats,4 ducks,5 and chicks.#{176}In man, pyridoxine deficiency anemia was first described in 1956 by Harris et al.;7 subsequently an increasing number of cases have been reported by others. In 1953, Synderman et al.8 produced pyridoxine deficiency in two infants with cerebral defects by means of a pyridoxine-deficient diet; one of them developed microcytic anemia after 160 days. A similar anemia in the rat has not been clearly demonstrated. Since rats are sensitive to pyridoxine deficiency and on diets deficient in this substance develop regularly the other classical signs of pyridoxine deficiency, it seems improbable that they were resistant to the anemia found in other species. The present study demonstrated that a well-defined microcytic hypochromic anemia, responding promptly to pyridoxine administration, can be produced consistently in the rat by a pyridoxine-deficient diet.