The synthesis of hippuric acid by jaundiced animals.

Abstract

Experiments were carried out to determine the proportion of benzoic acid which dogs and rabbits whose common bile ducts had been ligated can conjugate with glycocoll to form hippuric acid. Two rabbits whose bile ducts had been ligated excreted only 40 per cent of the amount of hippuric acid which was synthesized by normal rabbits of the same weight, the remainder of the benzoic acid being eliminated uncombined. It was found that a normal dog which was maintained on a constant diet was able to conjugate 95 per cent of a dose of benzoic acid but after ligation of the bile duct the amount of hippuric acid which was synthesized dropped to about 60 per cent. A similar result was obtained with another jaundiced dog. The results are contrary to the work of Kühne, 1 who found no hippuric acid synthesized by a jaundiced dog, but are essentially in accord with those of Folwarczny 2 and others 3 who studied human cases, and the experiment of Lewis 4 on a rabbit. The results of this and other work on jaundice will be published in detail in the near future.