Hematological and Serum Protein Profiles in a Wistar Rat Model of Severe Protein-Energy Malnutrition Induced by a LOW-Protein, High-Carbohydrate Diet

Abstract

This study evaluated the physiological, biochemical, and hematological impacts of severe protein restriction using an approximated animal model of protein-energy malnutrition (PEM). Ten young male Wistar rats were divided into a control group fed standard commercial chow (n=5) and an experimental group fed a formulated protein-depleted diet (n=5; 3.47% protein, 81.53% carbohydrate) for an extended period of 42 days. The diet was designed based on the historical threshold established by Boyd et. al. (1968), which demonstrates that dietary protein must remain at or below 3.47% to replicate clinical, kwashiorkor-like pathology in rodents.

By the conclusion of the feeding trial, severe dietary protein deficiency induced an immediate, progressive loss of body mass, with the experimental cohort dropping from an initial 60.58 ± 10.35g to a final 38.66 ± 5.23g (p < 0.05). This structural decline was accompanied by behavioral lethargy, extensive alopecia, and visible muscle wasting. Biochemical analysis revealed severe hypoproteinemia, with total plasma protein falling from 3.5 ± 0.66g/dL in controls to 1.64 ± 0.55g/dL in the malnourished group (p < 0.05), driven by a deep drop in serum albumin (1.0 ± 0.3g/dL) and globulin (0.64 ± 0.26g/dL) fractions. Manual hematological profiles showed severe nutritional anemia, with hemoglobin and hematocrit cut nearly in half, alongside profound leukopenia and lymphopenia (p < 0.05). While the compact sample size limits broad generalizability, these findings offer a synchronized baseline of the metabolic, erythroid, and immune collapse that approximates advanced clinical malnutrition, serving as an accessible experimental paradigm for evaluating targeted nutritional interventions.