Feeding of Rats with Phenylacetic Acid: Organic Acids in Urine and Tissues

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Abstract
Intraperitoneal injections of phenylacetic acid in doses up to 5 mmoles per kg of body weight were administered to two groups of rats consisting of adult and freshly weaned animals, for periods ranging from one to 7 months. Clinical condition and gain in weight were comparable to that of control animals injected with distilled water. From the first day on, the urine of the experimental animals contained phenylacetic acid and a greater amount of combined phenaceturic and hippuric acid than the urine of control rats. The formation of these two conjugation compounds in the rat is discussed. Blood, brain, liver, kidney, spleen, testis, or muscle of the experimental rats failed to reveal any appreciable amount of either phenylacetic acid or of phenylacetylglycine, indicating rapid detoxication and excretion of this acid, which appears to be nontoxic in the doses administered. Rat urine was observed to contain exceptionally large amounts of aconitic acid. Neither the content of this nor of the other Krebs cycle acids was found to be affected by administration of phenylacetic acid.

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