THIAMINE METABOLISM

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Abstract
Banga, Ochoa and Peters1 have shown that most of the biologic activity of thiamine is exerted only when the latter exists in the form of diphosphothiamine. All of the nucleated cells of the body have been thought to possess the power to convert thiamine to diphosphothiamine,2 the liver3 and the kidney4 possessing this activity more than the other tissues. Furthermore, these organs have a greater capacity for the dephosphorylation of diphosphothiamine.5 These observations introduce an important query as to whether with severe disease of the liver or kidneys there is a disturbance in thiamine metabolism. Certain studies that have been made suggest that such may be the case. For example, Borson6 found that 3 patients with hepatic cirrhosis, excreted a distinctly larger percentage of a standard test dose of thiamine than did his normal subjects. He suggested that the damage of the liver might cause a decrease