| Budget Amount *help |
¥1,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000)
Fiscal Year 1986: ¥400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥400,000)
Fiscal Year 1985: ¥1,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000)
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| Research Abstract |
Metabolism of tryptophan and its metabolites is physiologically important in human body. The process of metabolism of tryptophan and its metabolites such as 3-hydroxykynurenine and 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid is known to be present in the cells of brain and kidney etc. However, there are few reports on the metabolism of these compounds in human erythrocytes. We investigated whether tryptophan and its metabolites are metabolized in human erythrocytes or not. Interestingly, we found that these compounds were metabolized to brown or yellow pigments such as cinnabarinic acid and xanthommatin in the cells. These processes included dimerization of 3-hydroxykynurenine and 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid by intracellular hemoglobin in human erythrocytes. In this research, the mechanism for metabolism of tryptophan metabolites such as 3-hydroxykynurenine and 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid was investigated extensively.
1). 3-Hydroxykynurenine, a metabolite of tryptophan, was metabolized to xanthommatin, which
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is not usually found in human body, in human erythrocytes. The reaction rates were relatively fast in the cells. We are to investigate the accumulation of this brown pigment in the patients of Diabetes.
2). 3-Hydroxyanthranilic acid, a metabolite of 3-hydroxykynurenine in human body, was metabolized to cinnabarinic acid, an orange colored compound, in human erythrocytes. The reaction rates were very fast. The physiological and pathological significance of the accumulation of cinnabarinic acid in human body is now under investigation.
3). o-Aminophenol, which has basal structure of 3-hydroxykynurenine and 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid is metabolized to phenoxazine, a brown pigment, in human erythrocytes. Since o-aminophenol causes toxic methemoglobinemia, the accumulation of phenoxazine compound is conceivable in the bloods of the patient.
4). It was found that the metabolism of 3-hydroxykynurenine, 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid and o-aminophenol is coupled with oxidation and reduction of intracellular hemoglobin in human erythrocytes.
5). The brown or orange colored pigments such as xanthommatin, cinnabarinic acid and phenoxazine are not found in human body before we reported. Less
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