Aw Kingma

Estimation of 24-hour polyamine intake from mature human milk

It has been suggested that milk polyamines stimulate GI tract proliferation and maturation in newborns. We determined human milk polyamine concentrations and estimated 24-h outputs on days 16 +/- 4 (n = 98), 44 +/- 3 (n = 97) and 91 +/- 6 (n = 25) after delivery. Median concentrations in micromolars were, respectively, putrescine 0.77, 0.63, and 0.63; spermidine 4.54, 3.07, and 2.73; spermine 3.76, 2.90, and 2.22; and total polyamines 9.82, 6.83, and 5.71. Concentrations of spermidine, spermine, and total polyamines decreased during the observation period. Putrescine, spermidine, and spermine milk/maternal plasma ratios were estimated to be 16-19, 14-24, and 44-75, respectively. It would appear that milk polyamines are derived from the high polyamine contents in the mammary gland and that they may be important in infant nutrition.

CATABOLISM OF POLYAMINES IN THE RAT POLYAMINES AND THEIR NON-ALPHA-AMINO ACID METABOLITES

The metabolic fate of stable isotopically labeled polyamines was investigated after their first and second intraperitoneal injection in rats. Using gas chromatographic and mass fragmentographic analyses of acid-hydrolyzed 24-h urines, some aspects of the polyamine metabolism could be elucidated. After the injections with hexadeutero-1,3-diaminopropane, only labeled 1,3-diaminopropane was recovered from the urine samples. The rat injected with tetradeuteroputrescine excreted labeled putrescine, gamma-amino-n-butyric acid, 2-hydroxyputrescine and spermidine, while the urine samples of the rat after the injections with tetradeuterocadaverine contained labeled cadaverine and delta-aminovaleric acid. The injections of hexadeuterospermidine led to the appearance of labeled spermidine, isoputreanine, putreanine, N-(2-carboxyethyl)-4-amino-n-butyric acid, putrescine, gamma-amino-n-butyric acid, 1,3-diaminopropane, beta-alanine and spermine. After the injections with bis(2-carboxyethyl)-1,4-diaminobutane, spermidine, isoputreanine, putreanine, N-(2-carboxyethyl)-4-amino-n-butyric acid, putrescine, 1,3-diaminopropane, beta-alanine, 2-hydroxyputrescine and possibly gamma-amino-n-butyric acid were recovered. Clear differences between the metabolism after the first and second injection were noted for putrescine, spermidine and spermine, which is suggestive for enzyme induction and/or the existence of salvage pathways.

MICROBIAL INFLUENCES ON URINARY POLYAMINE EXCRETION

We determined diamines, polyamines, their monoacetylated conjugates and some of their catabolites in urines of healthy persons during decontamination of the gastrointestinal tract and patients with urinary tract infections. The compounds were also measured after in vitro incubation of urines from healthy persons and patients. During decontamination the urinary excretion of total putrescine decreased by a small amount. This fall was for the greater part accountable to monoacetylated putrescine. Free putrescine levels were increased in urines of patients with urinary tract infections, decreased after therapy, and increased after incubation of the pretherapeutical samples. Total cadaverine decreased during decontamination and increased during recontamination. The changes were partly accountable to monoacetylated cadaverine. Free cadaverine levels of patients with urinary tract infections were normal and did not change after therapy. These data show that, under normal conditions, a small part of monoacetylated putrescine and a considerable part of monoacetylated cadaverine originate from the gastrointestinal tract, and that urinary tract infections lead to an increase of free putrescine. The microbial synthesis of putrescine in the gastrointestinal- and urinary tracts, should therefore be taken into account for the interpretation of urinary putrescine levels as a parameter for body cell turnover.

DETERMINATION OF POLYAMINES IN HUMAN-ERYTHROCYTES BY CAPILLARY GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY WITH NITROGEN PHOSPHORUS DETECTION

A capillary gas chromatographic method with nitrogen-phosphorus detection is used to determine simultaneously 1,3-diaminopropane, putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine and spermine in human erythrocytes. The compounds are isolated by adsorption on silica and converted into their heptafluorobutyryl derivatives. We give quality-control data and (age-dependent) normal values for 48 apparently healthy controls.