Blood, 1960, Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 60-70.
© 1960 American Society of Hematology, Inc.
Certain Aspects of Glycine and Histidine
Metabolism in Patients with Sprue
C. E. BUTTERWORTH JR. 1,
JOSE SOLER 1,
RAFAEL SANTINI JR. 1, and
ENRIQUE PEREZ-SANTIAGO 1
1 U. S. Army Tropical Research Medical Laboratory, San Juan, Puerto Rico,
and the Bayamon District Hospital, Bayamon, Puerto Rico.
1. The administration of serine to seven patients with megaloblastic
anemia due to sprue produced a suboptimal but definite reticulocytosis in
four, and an equivocal reticulocyte elevation in two. It is believed that serine
served as a formylating agent, leading to the formation of CF from THFA.
Two subjects excreted normal quantities of folic acid in the urine during
serine therapy.
2. The administration of histidine to one patient led to an excessive urinary
excretion of FIGLU. Three other subjects with sprue excreted increased
amounts of FIGLU in the urine without a prior loading dose of histidine.
3. Since the folic acid co-factors concerned with glycine and serine
metabolism appear to function adequately in sprue patients, and since similar
co-factors are concerned with histidine metabolism, the urinary excretion of
FIGLU by these patients suggests an abnormality of the enzyme which
converts FIGLU to glutamic acid (FIGLU transferase). Further studies will
be necessary to clarify this inference.
4. The findings are discussed, and the view that folic acid may have a
"pharmacologic" effect in certain forms of megaloblastic anemia is considered.
Submitted on March 2, 1959
Accepted on May 23, 1959
