body is, at least in part, oxidized to phenols by the body tissues, and that an appreciable amount of these phenols is

Transcription

1 III. THE ACTION OF BENZOL.* THE URINARY PHENOLS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE DIPHASIC LEUCOPENIA. R. K. BREWER AND H. G. WEISKOTTEN. (From the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Pathology, Syracuse University College of Medicine.) It has long been known that benzol when taken into the body is, at least in part, oxidized to phenols by the body tissues, and that an appreciable amount of these phenols is excreted in the urine. During the past year there has been published by Folin and Denis I a technic for determiningthe amount of total and free phenols in the urine. In connection with the study, reported in the second paper2 of this series, of the diphasic leucopenia following the subcutaneous administration of olive oil-benzol mixture, it occurred to us that daily determinations of the phenol content of the urine might throw some light on the peculiar course of the leucocyte curve. At least it would seem that, if the deuterophase of the diphasic leucopenia were due to slow ' or delayed absorption of the oil-benzol mixture, the phenol content of the urine would show corresponding changes. With this idea in view daily determinations of the phenol content of the urine were made on two different rabbits, before beginning daily subcutaneous injections of equal parts of olive oil and benzol, and throughout the entire cycle of the leucocyte curve following such injections. Throughout the period of the experiments the rabbits received a uniform diet consisting of carrots, oats, and water. The results of these determinations in animal Experiment I5.I5 are shown in Table IV. * Received for publication June I2, I9I6. (71)

2 72 BREWER AND WEISKOTTEN. TABLE IV. (Exp ). Phenols. Oil-Ben- Volume Date, zol Mx., Leucocytes. of Urine, F CC. cc. Free, Total, Free, % Conju. mg. mg. ' gatedi,5 Nov S,120 I26 63.o 86.o o o I ,540 I64 68.o is , , , " , I 456.o o 4S o , Dec.i......,80oo S of , " , , ,720 I id , s.... 5, o , g , " , I I , I.I I , o 22.0 d , t , a i8.8 id ,

3 THE ACTION OF BENZOL. This table shows that during the first twenty-four hours after the first injection the total phenols of the urine increased enormously, the amount excreted being milligrams as compared with an average of 87.9 milligrams during the four days before injections. On the following day the amount rose to milligrams with an additional injection. During injections and for forty-eight hours after the last injection the total phenols remained high and then there occurred an abrupt return to the normal phenol content of the urine. Determinations in this animal were continued for twenty-nine days after the first injection, and no rise above the normal in the phenols of the urine was observed at any time after the return to a normal level. It will also be noted that the percentage of free phenols remained practically unchanged throughout, the marked increase in total phenols being unaccompanied by any relative increase in free phenols. Daily leucocyte counts were made and a sufficient number of injections was given to lower the leucocyte count below 2,000, after which no further injections were given at any time. The results of the determinations in the other animal, Experiment i6.i, are shown in Table V. 73

4 74 BREWER AND WEISKOTTEN. TABLE V. (Exp. x6.i). Oil.Ben. Date, zol Mx., Leucocytes. March 13. of 14. "z ft 19 o 20. is 21 " ' AprilI " $ 5-6 " 7 cc. ****@... * *.... * * * * * * *.. * *. * * * *.. * *. *. *. *. *. * *.. 10,920 8,6ao 8,640 8,26o 8,i6o 7,580 5,820 6,92o 3,I60 306o0 2,020 I,62o 2,140 3,220 3,100 3,9OO 5,3.40 8,300 9,240 4,580 2,440 2,J20 3,780 7,520 io,o6o 10,060 12,340 Volume of Urine, cc. ~~l 76 ' I i SS Phenols. Free, Total, Free, n u- mg. mg. ree,%. gate. % o I o ;9 62.o i I o o I o

5 THE ACTION OF BENZOL. 75 The leucocyte and total phenol curves of one of the animals, Experiment I5.I5, are shown in Chart 5. BXP I I I I' ll I D*l li el IZ 21 0 I 41 I I I I I El _4 _42_6 51_77 I nsobgs, I_ - _ I _I _ 1 _ I 450 mg I I I I I I I I 1-i-, 400. _ I_ I I I _ 300 i _ I " 250 I~~ ". ~~. I I ,, It II I I II I F I i a I 0 Pr I- 1 F). di.- I _0 I L 1- I II]JJAt I I ---m aoooo _E I_ IFThT--T I ILT _ 4000 Fw, "N I I Jl i Leucocytes 0- ro Total Phenols CHART 5 (Exp. 15.I 5). As is shown by these curves the secondary fall in the leucocyte curve is not accompanied by an increased phenol content of the urine, the phenol curve returning to a normal level near the climax of the primary fall of the leucocyte curve, and this normal level is maintained throughout the

6 76 BREWER AND WEISKOTTEN. rest of the experiment. The total phenol and leucocyte curves of the other animal, Experiment i6.i, are shown in Chart 6 and are closely comparable to the curves in animal Experinment 'Extp 16.1 lmar. A IIIIIIIIor.l I F Oil-Benzol mxe c0 o o o oooooooi dter lst in i ilzxel ,18T9 450 rnqs. zooo I. Tlll EL L 9000 L 111,S8000sl-, 7000 ] LE - x T ITIIA 65000i_i_e as 5000~~~~~~~~~~~~1[_ 4000 T TTI l 0 00_ I[[I1 110 T1 1 ooo 11T TT 111 L ccye h 0-*- no To is11 11 gooo ~ ~ CHR 6 (Ep i6a. IIT I

7 THE ACTION OF BENZOL. The fact that the deuterophase is not accompanied by any change in the curve indicating the total phenol content of the urine would seem to indicate that the deuterophase of the diphasic leucopenia, following subcutaneous injections of equal parts of olive oil and benzol, is not due to slow or delayed absorption of injected material. As is indicated in Tables IV. and V. three daily subcutaneous injections were given to each of the animals. Following injection in animal Experiment I5.15 of a total 5.25 cubic centimeters or 4.6 grams of pure benzol in an equal volume of olive oil, there was excreted in the urine during the four days following the first injection i.o8 grams of phenols which can be attributed to such injections, this amount being in excess of the average normal amount for four days. In the case of animal Experiment i6.i, of a total of 5 cubic centimeters, or 4.4 grams, of pure benzol in an equal volume of olive oil, there was excreted in the urine during the five days following the first injection i.i6 grams of phenols which can be attributed to the injections. Assuming that the increase in total phenols is derived entirely from the injected benzol, animal Experiment excreted 23.4 per cent of the injected benzol through the urine as phenols, and animal Experiment i6.i excreted 26.3 per cent. CONCLUSIONS. i. The deuterophase of the diphasic leucopenia following subcutaneous injections of equal parts of olive oil and benzol is not accompanied by an increase in the phenol content of the urine, as is the protophase. 2. These results seem to indicate that the deuterophase is not the result of " slowness of absorption of the poison " giving rise to "considerable variation" in the amount of poison existing at various times in the circulating blood; and that it is not due to delayed absorption. 77

8 78 BREWER AND WEISKOTTEN. REFERENCES. i. Folin, Otto, and Denis, W. A colorimetric method for the determination of phenols (and phenol derivatives) in urine. Jour. Biol. Chem., 1915, Xxii, Weiskotten, H. G., Schwartz, S. C., and Steensland, H. S. The action of benzol. If. The deuterophase of the diphasic leucopenia and antigen-antibody reaction. Jour. Med. Research, this issue, p Ibid., third and fourth paragraphs.