Effect of isoleucine on skin and electroencephalogram in pellagra

Abstract

Considerable experimental evidence points to the fact that pellagra in sorghum (jowar) eaters is attributable to high-leucine content of jowar. Isoleucine can counteract the metabolic effects of leucine in the rat. Twenty-six patients with pellagra took part in a clinical trial with D,L-isoleucine. All these patients were maintained on a jowar diet providing about 2000 C. and 54 g. of protein per day. Sixteen patients received D,L-isoleucine 5 g. per day and were completely cured by about 15 days, but the ten patients on jowar diet only did not show any improvement. Electroencephalographic studies in fourteen patients indicated that isoleucine supplementation could reverse and correct the abnormalities induced by leucine supplementation. These findings further indicate that ratio of leucine to isoleucine in the diet may be aetiologically related to pellagra.