Lymphedema and vitamins

Lymphedema and vitamins

**Editor's note: This is an interesting article, even though it dates back to 1971.  Written by the Földi clinic, so thought it worth sharing.** 

Ethel Földi-Borcsok and M. Földi - Lymphödem

In 1971, the unexpected fact has been described (1) that surgically induced acute experimental lymphedema in the rat flourished with the usual laboratory diet rich in
vitamins, can be treated successfully by the administration of various vitamins, e.g., pyndoxine, pantothenic acid, and particularly, a highly active representative of the vitamin P family,2 coumarin (5 , 6-benzo-a-pyron). These data, obtained by means of plethysmographic assessment of the volume of lymphedema, were confirmed by histology.

Based on these results, the question has to be raised whether an inadequate supplying of the organism with vitamins would aggravate lymphedema. After having obtained an affirmative answer to this question, therapeutic trials were performed in avitaminotic
lymphedematous animals. 

Material and methods

Experiments were performed in 150 male Wistar rats (body weights given in Fig. 1). The animals were divided into three groups.

Group 1

Group 1 comprised rats fed ad libitum an artificial diet rich in vitamins (Table 1). On the 56th day, these animals were divided into five subgroups. 

Subgroup 1.1 (n = 10). From the 56th to the 63rd day, the rats were given daily ip injections of saline, 10 mI/kg body wt. On the 60th day, the rats were anesthetized with nembutal (50 mg/kg ip). Preoperative volume of the neck and head was measured by electronic plethysmography by means of the apparatus constructed by Bundschuh (Griesheim, W. Germany). This was followed by a radical cervical lymphatic blockage. From a midline incision reaching from the mandibula to the sternum, lymph nodes were carefully prepared and
ligated. Plethysmographic measurements were repeated on the 63rd day.

Subgroup 1.2 (n = 10). In this subgroup, the procedure was the same as in subgroup 1.1, with
just one difference. Instead of saline, the rats were treated with the following vitamins in milligrams per kilogram body weight: vitamin B1, 40; lactoflavin, 23; niamid, 160; pyridoxine, 16; pantothenic acid, 240; biotin, 2 and cyanocobalamin, 80 pg/kg body weight.

Subgroup 1.3 (n 10). Procedure was the same as in subgroups 1.1 and 1.2 with one difference; i.e., the animals were treated with 25 mg/kg coumarin
(5 , 6-benzo-alpha-pyron). Subgroup 1.4 (,z 10). Procedure differed from that used in subgroups 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 in one respect; the rats were treated with 500 mg/kg tnhydroxy-ethyl-rutin. Subgroup 1.5 (n 10). In this subgroup, the same procedure was followed as with subgroup 1.1 except that instead of a cervical lymphatic blockage, only a sham operation was performed.

Group 2

Rats were fed a diet (ad libitum) that was poor in B-complex vitamins (Table 1). On the 35th day, the rats were divided into five subgroups. (This day was chosen instead of the 56th because vitamin B deficiency was already marked and the state of the rats deteriorated rapidly.)

Subgroup 2.1 (n 10). From the 35th to the 42nd day, the rats were given daily ip injections of saline. On the 39th day, they were treated as those in subgroup 1 . 1 . Plethysmographic measurements were repeated on the 42nd day. Subgroup 2.2 (n 10). In this subgroup, procedure was the same as in subgroup 2.1, with one exception. Instead of saline, the rats were treated with the same vitamins as those in subgroup 1.2. Subgroup 2.3 (n 10). The rats in this group were treated with coumarin; otherwise the procedure was the same as in subgroup 2.1 and 2.2.

Subgroup 2.4 (n = 10). Our procedure differed from that used in subgroups 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3 in one respect, these rats were treated with trihydroxyethyl-rutin. Subgroup 2.5 (n = 10). In this subgroup, the procedure was the same as in subgroup 2.1 except that instead of a lymphatic blockage, only a sham operation was performed.

Group 3

Rats in this group were fed the Sherman-LaMerCampbell diet (4), free of vitamin P but supplemented with ascorbic acid (Table 1). This group..... 

Complete Text with charts:

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition