ALTERATIONS OF BLOOD CELLS AND HEMATOPOIETIC FUNCTION DURING THE EXPERIMENTAL STARVATION I. PRELIMINRY HEMATOLOGICAL OBSERVATION IN THE COURSE OF STARVATION ON RABBITS

Lee, Bang Whan

Korean Journal of Veterinary Research 1961;1(1):1-29.

Bang Whan Lee

Department of Veterinary Internal Medicine, College of Agriculture, Chonbuk University

실험적(實驗的) 절식(絶食)에 있어서 혈액세포(血液細胞) 및 조혈기능(造血機能)의 변화(變化)에 관(關)한 연구(硏究) 1. 가토(家兎)의 절식경과(絶食經過)에 있어서 예비적(豫備的) 혈액학적(血液學的) 관찰(觀察)

이방환

전북대학교 농과대학 수의학과 수의내과학교실

Abstract

A routine hematological observation in the course of starvation was carried out on eight experimentel1y starved rabbits. They were strictly selected and restricted all of food intake with the exception of optional water intake until death. The body weight of each rabbit on the day before starvation was about 2 kilograms. The results are summarized as follows. 1. The average decrememt ratio of body weight on the terminal day before death was $34.3{pm}7.5$ per cent with the range from 24.5 to 46.3 per cent. The average life duration until death was $10.25{pm}2.6$ days, the range being from 6 to 14 days. 2. The decrease in number of reticulocytes with a parallel disappearance of polychromatic erythrocytes in peripheral blood in the course of starvation Was the most remarkable change in erythrocytic series, an evidence suggesting marked restriction of the erythropoietic function on 3rd to 4th day and almost complete suspension in about a week of starvation. 3. Erythrocyte count, hemoglobin content and haematocrit value of peripheral blood, were normal or indicative of slight hemoconcentration. 4. Mean Corpuscular Hemogloin Concentration was slightly higher than normal and Mean Corpuscular Volume tended to be low and no appreciable shifts were observed in Mean Corpuscular Diameter and Price-Jones curve of erythrocytes, while fewer macrocytes than normal were seen. These changes were considered to have resulted from a marked decrease in young erythrocytes in peripheral blood in the course of starvation. 5. Neither poikilccytoses or anisosytosis was observed. 6. Leukopenia was observed in all of 8 starved rabbits. The decrement ratio on the terminal day of starvation was between 13 to 64 per cent. The leukopenia was mainly due to fall of lymphocytes in 6 cases and to fall of neutrophilic leukocytes in the other 2 cases. In many cases, irregular fluctuation of neutrophilic leukocytes in its biological curve were seen in contrast to the relatively smooth changes of lymphocytes. Eosinophilic leukocytes tended to decrease in absolute number especially in later stage of starvation. Little significance in regard to monocytes and basophilic leukocytes in this study was discussed. 7. Proplasma cells, rarely plasma cells, appeared with a tendency to increase in number at later stage of starvation. 8. The most characteristic changes on circulating blood cells in complete starvation of rabbits were the leukoponia and failure of regeneration of erythroctes. These changes were considered as adaptive phenomena in response to the catabolic consumption of body constituents.