Role of pyridoxine in the metabolism of putrescine in the rat

Abstract

The ability of rats to metabolize radioactive putrescine to 14CO2 in vivo was studied. Animals made deficient in pyridoxine exhibit a significantly lower rate of catabolism of the diamine. There does not appear to be an important interaction between the effects of the deficiency and those stemming from treatment of the animals with the diamine oxidase inhibitor aminoguanidine. These results favor the concept of a role of pyridoxal cofactor in the metabolism of diamines, presumably at the diamine oxidase stage.