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Biomedical subjects

R T Williams

Publications and source records attributed to R T Williams.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

Species differences in the aromatization of quinic acid in vivo and the role of gut bacteria.

1. The fate of (-)-quinic acid has been investigated in 22 species of animals including man. 2. In man and three species of Old World monkeys, i.e. rhesus monkey, baboon and green monkey, oral quinic acid was extensively aromatized (20-60%) and excreted in the urine as hippuric acid, which was determined fluorimetrically. 3. In three species of New World monkeys, i.e. squirrel monkey, spider monkey and capuchin, in three species of lemurs, i.e. bushbaby, slow loris and tree shrew, in the dog, cat, ferret, rabbit, rat, mouse, guinea pig, hamster, lemming, fruit bat, hedgehog and pigeon, oral quinic acid was not extensively aromatized (0-5%). 4. In the rhesus monkey, injected quinic acid was not aromatized, but largely excreted unchanged. 5. In rhesus monkeys pretreated with neomycin to suppress gut flora, the aromatization of oral quinic acid was considerably suppressed. 6. In rats and rhesus monkeys [(14)C]quinic acid was used and this confirmed its low aromatization in rats and its high aromatization in the monkeys. 7. Shikimic acid given orally was excreted as hippuric acid (26-56%) in rhesus monkeys, but not in rats. 8. The results support the view that quinic acid and shikimic acid are aromatized by the gut flora in man and the Old World monkeys.

Animals↗

The fate of sulphadimethoxine in primates compared with other species.

1. The metabolism of sulphadimethoxine (2,4-dimethoxy-6-sulphanilamidopyrimidine) was examined in nine species of primates and nine species of non-primates. 2. The main metabolite of the drug in the urine in man, rhesus monkey, baboon, squirrel monkey, capuchin, bushbaby, slow loris and tree shrew was sulphadimethoxine N(1)-glucuronide. In the green monkey, although the main metabolite was N(4)-acetylsulphadimethoxine, the N(1)-glucuronide was also a major metabolite. 3. In the dog, rat, mouse, guinea pig, Indian fruit bat and hen the N(1)-glucuronide was a minor metabolite in the urine, whereas in the cat, ferret and rabbit this glucuronide was not found in the urine. 4. All the species examined except the dog excreted some N(4)-acetylsulphadimethoxine, which was the major metabolite in the green monkey, rabbit and guinea pig. 5. In the tree shrew, a doubtful primate, N(1)-glucuronide formation was similar to that in the other primates. 6. It is suggested that the slow excretion of the drug by the rat may be due partly to strong binding of the drug to tissue proteins and that the strength of binding may vary with species. 7. In the rat the amount of N(1)-glucuronide found in the urine is not a true indication of the extent of this conjugation since much more of the conjugate was found in the bile (7% of the dose) than in the urine (1%). In the rabbit, no N(1)-glucuronide was found in the bile or urine, but a small amount of sulphadimethoxine N(4)-glucuronide was found in the bile of the rat (0.5% of dose) and rabbit (0.8%).

Animals↗

The fate of benzoic acid in various species.

1. The urinary excretion of orally administered [(14)C]benzoic acid in man and 20 other species of animal was examined. 2. At a dose of 50mg/kg, benzoic acid was excreted by the rodents (rat, mouse, guinea pig, golden hamster, steppe lemming and gerbil), the rabbit, the cat and the capuchin monkey almost entirely as hippuric acid (95-100% of 24h excretion). 3. In man at a dose of 1mg/kg and the rhesus monkey at 20mg/kg benzoic acid was excreted entirely as hippuric acid. 4. At 50mg/kg benzoic acid was excreted as hippuric acid to the extent of about 80% of the 24h excretion in the squirrel monkey, pig, dog, ferret, hedgehog and pigeon, the other 20% being found as benzoyl glucuronide and benzoic acid, the latter possibly arising by decomposition of the former. 5. On increasing the dose of benzoic acid to 200mg/kg in the ferret, the proportion of benzoyl glucuronide excreted increased and that of hippuric acid decreased. This did not occur in the rabbit, which excreted 200mg/kg almost entirely as hippuric acid. It appears that the hedgehog and ferret are like the dog in respect to their metabolism of benzoic acid. 6. The Indian fruit bat produced only traces of hippuric acid and possibly has a defect in the glycine conjugation of benzoic acid. The main metabolite in this animal (dose 50mg/kg) was benzoyl glucuronide. 7. The chicken, side-necked turtle and gecko converted benzoic acid mainly into ornithuric acid, but all three species also excreted smaller amounts of hippuric acid.

Animals↗

Structure and species as factors affecting the metabolism of some methoxy-6-sulphanilamidopyrimidines.

1. A comparative study was made in man, rhesus monkey, rat and rabbit of the urinary excretion of 2-, 4- and 5-methoxy- and 2,4-, 2,5- and 4,5-dimethoxy-6-sulphanilamidopyrimidines given orally. 2. In the rabbit, 70-80% of the dose of each drug was excreted in 2 days, mainly as N(4)-acetyl derivatives, except 2,5-dimethoxy-6-sulphanilamidopyrimidine, which was mainly excreted unchanged. 3. In the rat, 50-70% of the dose of each drug was excreted in 2 days, except the 2-methoxy and 2,4-dimethoxy compounds, whose excretion was about 30%. The N(4)-acetyl derivatives accounted for 20-70% of the drugs excreted, except the 2,5-dimethoxy derivative, which was excreted unchanged. 4. In the rhesus monkey, some 40-60% of the dose of the 2-methoxy, 2,4-dimethoxy and 2,5-dimethoxy compounds was excreted in 2 days, but the 4-methoxy, 5-methoxy and 4,5-dimethoxy compounds were excreted at less than half this rate. The 4-methoxy, 5-methoxy and 4,5-dimethoxy compounds were highly acetylated (80-90%) whereas the 2-methoxy compound was poorly acetylated (17%) and the 2,5-dimethoxy compound hardly at all. The major metabolite of the 2,4-dimethoxy compound in the monkey was the N(1)-glucuronide. 5. In man, 30% of the dose of the 4-methoxy and 2,4-dimethoxy compounds was excreted in 24 hr., whereas the 4,5-dimethoxy compound (Fanasil) was very slowly excreted (12% in 2 days). The 4-methoxy compound was well acetylated (65%), but the 2,4- and 4,5-dimethoxy compounds were not (20-30%). The main metabolite of the 2,4-dimethoxy compound in man was the N(1)-glucuronide. 6. N(1)-Glucuronide formation occurred extensively only with the 2,4-dimethoxy compound and only in man and the rhesus monkey. It did not occur in the rabbit and only to a minor extent in the rat. 7. The 2,5-dimethoxy compound was not significantly acetylated in vivo in the rabbit, rat or monkey, but acetylation occurred in vitro in rabbit or monkey liver homogenates. 8. These findings are discussed.

Animals↗

Species differences in the metabolism and excretion of sulphasomidine and sulphamethomidine.

1. The excretion of 2,4-dimethyl-6-sulphanilamidopyrimidine (sulphasomidine; Elkosin) and 4-methoxy-2-methyl-6-sulphanilamidopyrimidine (sulphamethomidine) given orally was examined in man, rhesus monkey, rabbit and rat. 2. About 70% of sulphasomidine (0.1g./kg.) is excreted mainly unchanged in the urine by these species in 24hr.; less than 15% of the dose is acetylated and there is no marked species difference in the fate of this drug. 3. Sulphamethomidine is excreted more slowly than sulphasomidine, and in the rat, rabbit and monkey the main metabolite is the N(4)-acetyl derivative. In man, only 20-30% of the dose is excreted in 24hr. and nearly 70% of this is sulphamethomidine N(1)-glucuronide, which is also excreted by the monkey but not by the rat or rabbit. There is therefore a marked species difference in the metabolism of sulphamethomidine. 4. Sulphamethomidine N(1)-glucuronide was synthesized and shown to be identical with the glucuronide isolated from monkey urine. 5. Sulphasomidine, sulphamethomidine and sulphadimethoxine (2,4-dimethoxy-6-sulphanilamidopyrimidine) were acetylated by rabbit or monkey liver homogenates. Although sulphasomidine is poorly acetylated in vivo, it is acetylated in vitro at rates comparable with those of the other two drugs. 6. The solubilities, partition coefficients and plasma-protein-binding of the drugs were measured. 7. The results are discussed.

Animals↗

The fluorescence of indoles and aniline derivatives.

1. The variations in the excitation and fluorescence wavelengths and fluorescence intensities of a number of indole and aniline derivatives over a wide range of acidity and alkalinity (36n-sulphuric acid to 10n-potassium hydroxide) have been studied. 2. The changes in fluorescence with pH of the indoles and anilines had many characteristics in common, and the most fluorescent species were found to be the non-ionized or neutral forms showing fluorescence maxima at about lambda 350mmu. 3. In 10n-potassium hydroxide most of the compounds examined, except those containing a tertiary nitrogen atom, showed a bathochromic shift in fluorescence wavelength attributable to an anion due to a negatively charged nitrogen, but in strong acid (3n-sulphuric acid) these compounds were non-fluorescent, except the anisidines and the 5-hydroxyindoles. 4. p-Anisidine but not the o- and m-isomers showed excited-state ionization in acid solution. 5. Of the hydroxyindoles only the 5-hydroxy derivatives showed a fluorescence (lambda(max.) 520-540mmu) in acid solution. It is suggested that this fluorescence is due to a proton-transfer reaction in the excited state, and various arguments for this suggestion are given. 6. Stokes shifts for the various ionic and neutral species of the indoles and anilines have been calculated, and the large shifts found with indole and p-anisidine may be due to solvent-solute interaction.

Aniline Compounds↗