Acute thiamin deficiency: a morphometric and cell proliferation study of jejunum epithelial cell.

The effect of acute thiamin deficiency on the jejunum epithelial cell was investigated in rats. The following results were obtained: The animals in the thiamin deficiency group (ATD) started to show a significant body weight loss from the 17th day in relation to pair fed controls (PFC). The length of the villus, depth and the cell population of the crypt from ATD animals were significantly decreased as compared to PFC. Crypt cell production rate (CCPR) was similar in both groups. However, even with epithelial hypoplasia, CCPR was maintained in thiamin-deficient animal, probably due to the presence of immature villus cells, which may reduced chalone and thus cause crypt to be more proliferative.