The effect of amino acid restricted diets on the clearance of 125I-labelled polyvinyl pyrrolidone in mice.

Impaired overall phagocytic function, as measured by clearance of radio-labelled polyvinyl pyrrolidone from the blood (KPVP), has been demonstrated in mice whose dietary intake of the essential amino acids phenylalanine and tryptophan was reduced to less than a quarter of that in a standard diet which supported optimal growth. This was associated with loss in weight of body, liver, spleen and thymus and an increase in the phagocytic index, alphaPVP.