Indolic metabolites, Urinary

Greenberg, A. J., and Ketcham, R. Determination of Urinary Indolic Metabolites... 

Michnovicz JJ, Adlercreutz H, Bradlow HL. Changes in levels of urinary estrogen metabolites after oral indole-3-carbinol treatment in humans. J Natl Cancer Inst 1997 89 718-723. 

The Hartnup disease described in 1956 (B2) under the title hereditary pellagra-like skin rash with temporary cerebellar ataxia, constant renal aminoaciduria, and other bizarre biochemical features evidently belongs to the diseases related to inborn errors of metabolism due to inherited differences. As was pointed out by Harris (H3), very often the detection of urinary amino acid metabolites has represented the starting point of the investigation of different genetic biochemical disorders. A recent study (A8) showed that the excess production of indole by colon bacteria in 15 cases of Hartnup disease was due entirely to an increased amount of tryptophan contained in the large bowel, and not to an abnormality of the bacteria themselves. 

---