VANILLINSÄURE ALS ENDPRODUKT DES ABBAUES VON ADRENALIN UND NORADRENALIN

Abstract
In rat livers perfused with 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-mandelic acid, formerly believed to be the endproduct of the metabolism of adrenaline and noradrenaline, three metabolites were detected by paper chromatography. After further purification by column chromatography, one of these substances was identified by melting point, shape of crystals, UV- and IR-spectra as vanillic acid. Perfusion with vanillic acid yielded only one metabolite in very small quantities. Because of its properties it is assumed to be a conjugate of vanillic acid. Hence vanillic acid, isolated in 1959 from human urine by Dirscherl & Schmidtmann, is the actual endproduct of the metabolism of adrenaline and noradrenaline.