3-Hydroxyanthranilic Acid Metabolism V. Distribution of Enzyme System in Animal Tissues.

Abstract

A survey of various tissues of the rat, and of beef and pork liver and kidney was made for the presence of the enzyme system that converts 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid to quinolinic acid. It was found that rat and pork liver homogenates quantitatively convert 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid to quinolinic acid. Beef liver also contains this enzyme system, but not all of the substrate metabolized could be accounted for as quinolinic acid. Rat, pork and beef kidney likewise contain the enzyme system but again not all of the 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid metabolized was found by the quinolinic acid assay. Spleen, muscle, brain, pancreas and testis of rats either do not contain the enzyme system or contain it in very small quantities. No evidence was obtained to indicate that the intermediate compound previously described had accumulated to account for the lower production of quinolinic acid by these prepns.