The metabolism of tryptophan. 2. The metabolism of tryptophan in patients suffering from cancer of the bladder

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Abstract
Anthranilic acid, 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid, 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid sulfuric ester, kynurenine, 3-hydroxykynurenine and 3-hydroxykynurenine sulfuric ester can be removed quantitatively from urine by use of a column of deactivated charcoal; these 6 tryptophan metabolites can be separated and estimated by chromatography by a gradient-elution partition system. Urines from patients with cancer of the bladder contain more anthranilic acid, 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid, kynurenine and 3-hydroxykynurenine and less 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid sulfuric ester and 3-hydroxykynurenine sulfuric ester than urines from normal subjects. Treatment of bladder-cancer patients with gluco-iaccharo-l:4-lactone appeared to reduce the excretion of anthranilic acid and 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid and to increase the excretion of 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid sulfuric ester and 3-hydroxykynurenine sulfuric ester. Administration of 10 g of DL-tryptophan increased the amounts of all these substances in the urine, particularly the kynurenine derivatives. Bladder-cancer patients dosed with tryptophan excreted larger amounts of anthranilic acid, 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid and 3-hydroxykynurenine.