Metabolism of 5-Hydroxyindole Compounds in Experimentally Produced Phenylketonuric Rats.

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Abstract
Supplementation of the diet of rats with both phenylalanine and tyrosine resulted in a marked increase of phenylpyruvate excretion in the urine and of the phenylalanine level in plasma. Supplementation with 2.5% DL-phenylalanine alone produced a much less marked effect. The rise of phenylpyruvate coincided with a decrease of 5-hydroxy-indoleacetic acid in the urine. In the plasma the increase of phenylalanine coincided with a decrease of 5-hydroxytryptamine. The disturbance of 5-hydroxyindole metabolism was therefore secondary to the increase of phenylalanine. The possible significance of these phenomena in the etiology of mental deficiency and phenylketonuria is discussed.