The use of tritium, of antipyrene and of N-acetyl-4-amino-antipyrene in the measurement of body water in living rabbits

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Abstract
Determination of body water over a wide range in live rabbits was made using tritium (TOH), antipyrene (AP) and N-acetyl-4-amino antipyrene (NAAP) as reference substances. Procedure involved injection of the reference substance into the ear-vein, withdrawal of 4-5 ml blood by cardiac puncture at hourly intervals for 3-4 hr after injection and slaughter of the rabbits from 5 min to 2 hr after sampling, followed by dessication of the total body and body less gut contents. Both TOH and AP methods gave accurate estimates of total body water, but the NAAP value was similar to that obtained by dessication of the empty body (less gut contents). In 13 rabbits, NAAP was not metabolized for as long as 379 min after injection. It suggested that NAAP and either TOH or AP could be used simultaneously, especially with herbivorous animals, for the determination of water content of the whole body, empty body and gastrointestinal contents, and as a means of estimating changes in body composition during experiments.
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