Abstract
DURING the past year, two biological methods for the determination of coenzymes I and II in blood have been reported1,2. Kohn and Klein, using the method described by Kohn, have reported recently the in vitro synthesis of the pyridine coenzymes I and II by human erythrocytes3. In their study, “fresh defibrinated blood was incubated in tightly stoppered flasks, or tubes, for 18–24 hours at 29°–35°"; apparently a mixture of red cells, white cells and serum was used. In the presence of added nicotinic acid amide or nicotinic acid, the in vitro synthesis of these coenzymes by defibrinated blood had also been observed in this laboratory, but from our experiments it seemed that the red cells stored and carried the enzymes instead of performing the synthesis. Accordingly, we took duplicate samples of venous blood from five normal persons, two patients with myelogenous leukæmia, and one patient with lymphatic leukæmia, and by repeated washing separated the red blood cells, the white blood cells and the serum. In each case, 1 c.c. of venous blood, or its hæmatocrit equivalent of washed cells, was incubated 18 hours with an equal volume of saline which contained 0·25 mgm. of nicotinic acid amide per cubic centimetre. The control tubes contained no nicotinic acid amide and were incubated the same length of time with an equal volume of saline.
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References
Kohn, H. I., œThe Concentration of Coenzyme-like Substances in Blood Following the Administration of Nicotinic Acid to Normal Individuals and Pellagrlns, Biochem. J., 32, 2075, (1938).
Vilter, R. W., Vilter, S. P., and Spics, T. D., œRelationship Between Nicotinic Acid and a Codehydrogenase (Cozymase) in Blood of Pellagrins and Normal Persons, J. Amer. Med. Assoc., 112, 420, (Feb. 4, 1939).
Kohn, H. I., and Klein, J. R., œThe Synthesis of Cozymase and of Factor V from Nicotinic Acid by the Human Erythrocyte in titro and in vivo, J. Biol. Chem., 130, 1, (1939).
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VILTER, S., VILTER, R. & SPIES, T. Synthesis of Coenzymes I and II. Nature 144, 943 (1939). https://doi.org/10.1038/144943a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/144943a0
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