Studies on the ‘Waldenström porphyrin’ of acute porphyria urines

Abstract

The behavior of the methyl esters of some typical "Waldenstrom" porphyrins, obtained from carefully established cases of acute porphyria, was compared with that of pure proporphyrin esters I and III when examined by paper chromatography, infrared spectro-photometry, X_ray Debye-Scherrer photography and other technics. The melting-point curve was established for mixtures of uroporphyrin esters I and III crystallized in known proportions. The melting point of the "Waldenstrom" porphyrin esters and the esterified coproporphyrin fractions obtained from them by decarboxylation as well as their paper-chromatographic behavior and X-ray powder patterns all indicate that the Waldenstrom porphyrins examined contain about 75% uroporphyrin HI and 25% uroporphyrin I. The X-ray examination of artificially prepared mixtures suggested that at this composition molecular compound formation takes place. Some urinary uroporphyrin esters from cases of cutaneous porphyria were examined by similar methods. They consisted mainly of uroporphyrin I, together with smaller amts. of uroporphyrin III. One such urinary uroporphyrin had an ester melting point 260[degree].