Article date: December 1960
By: T. J. SULLIVAN in Volume 15, Issue 4, pages 513-519
In rats, a diet of meat or liver caused a rise in the amount of 5‐hydroxytryptamine in the small intestine, an increase in the weight of the intestine and a 10‐fold increase in anaerobic bacteria in the rectum. A diet containing added tryptophan did not affect tissue levels of 5‐hydroxytryptamine in rats, but in mice there was a rise of 5‐hydroxytryptamine in various tissues. The significance of these findings is discussed together with the possible role of intestinal bacteria in mediating the effects caused by a meat diet. No change was observed in the 5‐hydroxytryptamine content of brain or in the distribution of argentaffin cells in the jejunum as a result of these diets.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1960.tb00273.x
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