Overadministration of Choline and Lipotropic Action

Young albino rats (approximately 60g, male and female) and adult albino rats (approximately 250g, male and female) maintained on choline deficient diet or choline deficient diet with addition of cholesterol for 3 weeks to induce fatty liver were divided into 69 groups (1 group consisting of 2 males and 2 females). In each group, choline chloride was orally or parenterally administered daily in doses of 1, 5, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120mg per rat, and measured their body weight and total fatty acid content of the liver after 2 weeks. Lipotropic action was seen in adult albino rats above the dose of 20mg given either orally or parenterally, while the decrease of body weight was mild. Death rarely occurred even when more than 100mg was used. In young albino rats, lipotropic action was seen above the dose of 10mg in both oral and parenteral administration. Body weight always decreased. Such decrease in body weight was more pronounced in the group with injection and many animals died when more than 20mg was used. The cause of such death along with decrease of body weight appeared to be related with adrenocortical hormones.