Experimental Studies on the Indican Formation. First Report

Abstract

1. Bacterium coli in the intestine and indican in urine never disappear even when the guinea-pigs are nourished only with cabbages.
2. Indican in urine of guinea-pigs increases by only a few hours'fasting.
3. Indican in urine of rabbits does not at all dccrease, rather increases about ten times as much as normal by ten days'fasting.
4. The amount of indican has no conncction with the charaeter of feces.
5. Between the indican formation and the state of appetite there is a very intimate relation; if the appetite decreases, the amount of indican increases, and vice versa, and it may well be said that the decrease of appetite and the increase of indican run quantitatively parallel.
6. The parenteral administration of a large amount of liver or kidney cells has caused the increased excretion of indican. But whether it may be due to the direct action of the constituents of the introduced cells, or to the poor appetite resulting from their administration is questionable.
7. In the early stage of the uran nephritis the total amount of indican in urine and blood is smaller than that of the normal state. But the total amount of indican formed thereby must be larger than that of the normal if we take into consideration the indican retained in the tissues and excrcted vicariously into the digestive tube.
8. The hyperindicanemia in nephritis is the result of increased formation as well as retention of indican.
9. In habu-poison nephritis also the blood contains more indican than normal, and the total amount of indican in urine and blood is larger than that of the normal.
10. The disinfection of the intestinal canal or the rapid discharge of intestinal contents with medicaments does not diminish the amount of indican, but rather increases it.
11. The reaction of urine has no connection with the amount of indican.
12. The parenterally administered sodium oxalate has no influence on the indican formation in guinea-pigs.
13. Except for the indicanemia in renal insufficiency we often meet slight indicancmia in various diseases, which may be regarded as a partial appearence of increased indican, for example, by gastro-intestinal disturbances or inanition.
14. Indican is excreted vicariously from the digestive tube in renal insufficieney.
15. The indicanuria observed clinically in many diseases may be attributed partly to the increased decomposition of body protein due to the poor appctite, and partly to the anomalies of metabolism.
16. Finally I have reached the next conclusion that indican may well be formed also through the metabolic process without the activity of bacteria.
In conclusion I wish to express my sincere thanks to Professor Dr. T. Ishikawa for his generous help, criticism and advice throughout the investigation.