Abstract
Baer and Blum found that the subcutaneous injection of 10 gm. of glutaric acid had the power of greatly reducing the amount of sugar and nitrogen in the urine of phlorhizinized dogs. The degree of reduction in the nitrogen elimination in most of their dogs is so marked (less than 1 gm. per 24 hours for dogs weighing 5.4 to 10.0 kilos!) that a repetition of this experiment seemed desirable.
Thanks to the kindness of Prof. Graham Lusk, I received 100 gm. of glutaric acid, which was prepared by Kahlbaum, and which enabled me to carry out the following research:
Dogs were phlorhizinized in the usual manner, and after establishing the D : N ratio, they received, subcutaneously, 10 gm. of glutaric acid dissolved in water and neutralized by means of NaHCO3. The glutaric acid was administered in three equal doses during the course of the day.
These results show that the glutaric acid, contrary to the findings of Baer and Blum, has no influence whatsoever either on the sugar or on the nitrogen elimination.
Another experiment was performed on a normal starving animal. It received 10 gm. of glutaric acid without showing any effect on the nitrogen elimination.
Baer and Blum report that a good many compounds containing two carboxyl groups possess the power of reducing the sugar and nitrogen elimination. Experiments are in progress to verify their contention.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.