REDUCTION OF HYPERLIPIDEMIA AND PROTEINURIA WITHOUT GROWTH-RETARDATION IN NEPHRITIC RATS BY A METHIONINE-SUPPLEMENTED, LOW-SOY-PROTEIN DIET

Effect of a low-soy-protein-isolate (SPI) diet supplemented with methi onine on hyperlipidemia, proteinuria, and hypoalbuminemia was studied in rats with nephrotoxic serum nephritis (NSN). Rats were fed experime ntal diets for 14 d after an injection of nephrotoxic serum. An 8.5%-S PI diet (8.5S), as compared with a basal 20%-SPI diet (20S), improved the hyperlipidemia, proteinura, and hypoalbuminemia secondary to NSN b ut retarded the growth of rats. The addition of 0.3% methionine to 8.5 S (8.5SM) alleviated the growth retardation without loss of the above- mentioned beneficial effects. 8.5SM was found to suppress hepatic chol esterol synthesis compared with 20S. These results suggest that the me thionine-supplemented low-SPI diet has a beneficial effect on hyperlip idemia, proteinuria, and hypoalbuminemia without inducing either growt h retardation or severe fatty liver in nephritis. They also suggest th at the hypocholesterolemic effect of 8.5SM in nephritic rats may be pa rtly attributable to reduced hepatic cholesterol synthesis.