Abstract
IN collaboration with the Army Malaria Research Unit, we have developed a technique for the quantitative separation by chromatographic means of mepacrine from urine and from blood. The separation is effected on alumina and is made visible by the intense fluorescence emitted, by acridine derivatives in ultraviolet light. In certain (but not all) specimens of urine from some groups of malarial patients receiving therapeutic courses of mepacrine we have observed that a yellow fluorescent band, not that of mepacrine, can be developed on the chromatogram. This band is not observed on chromatograms of normal urines from patients who have not been dosed with mepa-crine. Further, a sample of urine to which an authentic specimen of pure 2-hydroxy-6-chloro-9-amino-acridine had been added gave a chromatogram exhibiting a yellow band identical with that obtained from the urines referred to above. The two bands., the one obtained from malarial urine and the other produced from a urine to which the amino-compound mentioned had been added, exhibited exactly similar behaviour on the alumina columns. Thus neither band could be eluted using methyl or ethyl alcohol, ether, benzene, chloroform, acetone, amyl alcohol, pyridine or even glacial acetic acid, whereas both bands were eluted by N hydrochloric acid.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
J. Biol. Chem., 152, 27 (1944).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
HAMMICK, D., FIRTH, D. Mepacrine Derivatives in Urine. Nature 154, 461 (1944). https://doi.org/10.1038/154461a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/154461a0
This article is cited by
-
Optical Activity of Excreted Mepacrine
Nature (1945)
-
Primary Degradation Products of Mepacrine in Human Urines
Nature (1945)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.