Summary
Analysis of urinary organic acids in patients admitted for screening for inborn errors of metabolism incidentally revealed the presence of abnormal amounts of 4-hydroxyphenyllactate (4-HPLA) and phenyllactate (PLA). These compounds are found in tyrosinaemia and phenylketonuria but in our patients such disorders could not be established. By means of configuration analysis it was shown that these 2-hydroxyacids consisted partly of theD-enantiomers, pointing to a bacterial origin. Endogenously formed urinary 2-hydroxyacids in tyrosinaemia or phenylketonuria consisted of only theL-enantiomers. Furthermore, the urine of a patient with an established short bowel syndrome contained a wide variety of bacterial amino acid metabolites, including 2-hydroxyisocaproic acid (2-HICA). In this case 2-HICA occurred predominantly in theD-form whereas in the urine of a patient with maple syrup urine disease this compound appeared to have theL-configuration.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Duran, M., Ketting, D., Van Vossen, R., Beckeringh, T. E., Dorland, L., Bruinvis, L. and Wadman, S. K. Octanoylglucuronide excretion in patients with a defective oxidation of medium-chain fatty acids.Clin. Chim. Acta 152 (1985) 253–260
Goldsmith, L. A. Tyrosinemia and related disorders. In Stanbury, J. B., Wyngaarden, J. B., Fredrickson, D. S., Goldstein, J. L. and Brown, M. S. (eds.),The Metabolic Basis of Inherited Disease, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1983, pp. 287–299
Haan, E., Brown, G., Bankier, A., Mitchell, D., Hunt, S., Blakey, J. and Barnes, G. Severe illness caused by the products of bacterial metabolism in a child with a short gut.Eur. J. Pediatr. 144 (1985) 63–65
Kamerling, J. P., Duran, M., Gerwig, G. J., Ketting, D., Bruinvis, L., Vliegenthart, J. F. G. and Wadman, S. K. Determination of the absolute configuration of some biologically important urinary 2-hydroxydicarboxylic acids by capillary gas-liquid chromatography.J. Chromatogr. Biomed. Appl. 222 (1981) 276–283
Robinson, R. Tyrosine metabolism in cystic fibrosis.Clin. Chim. Acta. 14 (1966) 166–170
Schoorel, E. P., Giesberts, M. A. H., Blom, W. and Van Gelderen, H. H.D-lactic acidosis in a boy with short bowel syndrome.Arch. Dis. Child. 55 (1980) 810–812.
Van der Heiden, C., Wadman, S. K., Ketting, D. and De Bree, P. K. Urinary and faecal excretion of metabolites of tyrosine and phenylalanine in a patient with cystic fibrosis and severely impaired amino acid absorption.Clin. Chim. Acta 31 (1971a) 133–141
Van der Heiden, C., Wauters, E. A. K., Ketting, D., Duran, M. and Wadman, S. K. Gas chromatographic analysis of urinary tyrosine and phenylalanine metabolites in patients with gastro-intestinal disorders.Clin. Chim. Acta 37 (1971b) 289–296
Vogel, A. I. (ed.)Elementary Practical Organic Chemistry, part 2: Qualitative Organic Analysis, 2nd edn., Longman Group Limited, London, 1966, p. 147
Wadman, S. K., Van der Heiden, C., Ketting, D., Kamerling, J. P. and Vliegenthart, J. F. G. β-p-Hydroxyphenylhydracrylic acid as a urinary constituent in a patient with gastrointestinal disease.Clin. Chim. Acta 47 (1973) 307–314
Weber, W. W. and Zannoni, V. G. Reduction of phenylpyruvic acid to phenyllactic acid in mammalian tissues.J. Biol. Chem. 241 (1966) 1346–1349
Zannoni, V. G. and Weber, W. W. Isolation and properties or aromatic α-keto acid reductase.J. Biol. Chem. 241 (1966) 1340–1344
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Spaapen, L.J.M., Ketting, D., Wadman, S.K. et al. Urinary D-4-hydroxyphenyllactate, D-phenyllactate and D-2-hydroxyisocaproate, abnormalities of bacterial origin. J Inherit Metab Dis 10, 383–390 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01799981
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01799981