Dietary Effects of Arginine and its Derivatives upon the Germ Cells of Albino-rats

In the case of arginine deficiency or the same, supplemented with arginic acid, the formation of sperma decreases in comparison with arginine deficiency plus arginine or plus ornithine. The decrease is at its maximum after ten weeks of arginine deficiency. Some free germ cells occur in the cace of arginine deficiency plus arginine or plus ornithine, but occur more frequently in the cace of arginine deficiency or the same, supplemented with arginic acid. These cells are most abundant after ten weeks of arginine deficiency. Of all free cells the isolation of spermiocytes is more frequent in the case of arginine deficiency or the same, supplemented with arginic acid than in the case of arginine deficiency plus arginine or plus ornithine. Multinuclear cells are found in the cases of the arginine deficiency and the same, supplemented with arginic acid, and most of their nuclear appearances are that of spermatid with some exceptions where they are of the mixed type of spermatid and spermiocyte. CIACCIO's lipoid distributed in seminiferous tubules can be found most remarkably in the arginine deficiency supplemented with ornithine, secondly more abundant in arginine deficiency plus arginic acid, thirdly in arginine deficiency, and the least in the arginine deficiency plus arginine. With this order the distribution of CIACCIO's lipoid increases to a higher degree after ten weeks of dietary breeding. If we consider these cytological changes as an atropic change according to the formor author (YAMADA et al. 1950), cases of arginine deficiency and the same supplemented with arginic acid both undergo a similar course of atrophy to higher histological changes. In the case of arginine deficiency plus ornithine this was found to be somewhat slight, and the changes of arginine deficiency can be recovered by the dietarily supplemental use of arginine.