STUDIES OF UNBOUND AMINO ACID DISTRIBUTIONS IN PLASMA, ERYTHROCYTES, LEUKOCYTES AND URINE OF NORMAL HUMAN SUBJECTS

Abstract

Using salt saturated paper chromatography, methods were developed for the analysis of concurrent concentrations of unbound amino acids in body fluids. The concentration of a number of the amino acids was the same in the erythrocytes as in the plasma, but glutamic acid, histidine, ornithine, serine plus glycine and ergothioneine were higher in the erythrocytes. Unbound arginine was generally not found in the erythrocytes. The concentration of all of the amino acids (except possibly arginine) was higher in the leukocytes than in the plasma. The leukocytes tended to concentrate glutamic acid, ornithine, serine plus glycine, taurine, and O-phosphoethanolamine more than the other amino acids. Excretions in nonfasting urines were approximately 60% higher tnan in fasting urines.