Abstract
Summary
Intragastric administration of 0.75 mg of l-tyrosine per g body weight to guinea pigs maintained on 2 mg of Vit. C per day did not yield urinary tyrosine intermediate metabolites. Burned guinea pigs to which this test was applied at various times after the burn showed an abrupt abnormal response on the third post burn day despite a daily maintenance Vit. C dose of 2 mg per day. This response was manifested by appearance of large amounts of urinary p-hydroxy phenylpyruvic acid, the same compound which appears in the urine of uninjured guinea pigs fed tyrosine when ascorbic acid is removed from their diet. Metabolic abnormality reached its peak on the sixth post burn day, then declined to almost normal levels by the 20th post burn day. One hundred mg per day of Vit. C abolished the abnormality after the burn. These results agree with previous observations of altered Vit. C metabolism and an increased need for this vitamin after burns, as judged by the abnormal wound healing within the first 2 weeks after a burn.
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