[Feeding experiment on laboratory-bred male cynomolgus monkeys. II. Hematological and serum biochemical studies]

The effects of restricted feeding on hematological and serum biochemical values were studied in laboratory-bred male cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) aged between one year and four years. In animals younger than 2.5 years old, the amount of commercial diet (Type AS, Oriental Yeast Co. Ltd.) given per day was restricted to 50 g (group A), 30 g (group B) or 20 g (group C) and increased to 100 g (group A), 50 g (group B) or 40 g (group C) at 2.5 years old. Throughout the experimental period, about 100 g per day of apples and oranges were fed to the animals. Differences in red blood cell counts, hematocrit values and hemoglobin concentrations between groups A and C were detected in the middle period of the experiment. The function of hematogenesis may be suppressed by restricted feeding. A significant increase in serum triglyceride concentration in group C and slight increase in group B were observed during the second trimester of the experiment. A decrease in serum alkaline phosphatase activities in group C during the same period suggests that restricted feeding has a suppressive effect on bone growth. The results obtained by hematological and serum biochemical observations in this study are in good agreement with the previous somatometric study [10].