Effects of 3-acetylpyridine on metabolism of nicotinic acid in rats

Abstract

Rats treated with 3-acetylpyridine excrete more N1-methylnicotinamide-like substances in their urine than do untreated controls. Repeated small doses or one single dose of 3-acetylpyridine lead to a lower excretion of these substances than that observed after administration of corresponding doses of nicotinamide. The pyridine nucleotide level in the livers of rats treated with 3-acetylpyridine are lower than in animals given equal amounts of nicotinamide. Small doses of 3-acetylpyridine promote the growth of rats maintained on a corn-sucrose diet, whereas large doses depress it. Supplementation of this diet with liberal amounts of nicotinic acid has no significant ameliorating effect on this inhibition of growth. The two-sided role of 3-acetylpyridine is explained in terms of its partial conversion into the vitamin and the dual character of the coenzymes containing the analog.