Blood, 1953, Vol. 8, No. 5, pp. 469-485.
© 1953 American Society of Hematology, Inc.
Some Aspects of the Metabolism of Antimegaloblastic
Substances in Man
RONALD H. GIRDWOOD PH.D., M.B., CH.B., F.R.C.P. (ED.),M.R.C.P. (LOND.)1
1 Department of Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland.
1. When the sera of pernicious anemia patients or controls were heated at
100 C. for 30 minutes, they developed the ability to support the growth of L.
leichmannii by virtue of some substance other than vitamin B12. It seemed
likely, however, that following the administration of the vitamin, such heating
also liberated free B12 in the serum from a combined form.
2. The L. leichmannii assay did not appear to be satisfactory for showing
possible difference in the levels of vitamin B12 in the urines or sera of pernicious
anemia patients and controls.
3. Parenterally administered vitamin B12 did not cause any measurable rise
in the serum level of folic acid or citrovorum factor in pernicious anemia patients
or controls.
4. The synthetic folic acid conjugates pteroyldiglutamic acid and pteroyltriglutamic acid appeared in the sera and urines of pernicious anemia patients
as pteroylglutamic acid or some related substance with folic acid activity for
S. faecalis.
5. Orally administered citrovorum factor appeared to be largely converted by
the gastric juice to folic acid if free hydrochloric acid was present. When administered parenterally, however, citrovorum factor was excreted in the urine
largely unchanged.
Submitted on October 19, 1952
Accepted on January 6, 1953
