Abstract
Isenberg and Szent-Györgyi1 studied the reaction between tryptophan and tryptophan metabolites and riboflavin. It was observed that free tryptophan or this amino-acid in proteins formed a complex with riboflavin. The vitamin molecule takes up one electron from tryptophan and a semiquinoid riboflavin free radical is formed. Those authors speculated that this complex occurs in vivo. Since it was established by Winzler et al.2 that seromucoid contains tryptophan, and in view of the hepatic origin of that fraction3, experiments were conducted by us to investigate a possible effect of riboflavin on liver histomucoid in vivo.
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Isenberg, I., and Szent-Györgyi, A., Proc. U.S. Nat. Acad. Sci., 44, 857 (1958).
Winzler, R. J., Devor, A. W., Mehl, J. W., and Smyth, I. M., J. Clin. Invest., 27, 609 (1948).
Winzler, R. J., Methods Biochem. Anal., 2, 279, edit. by Glick, D. (Interscience, 1955).
Abreu, L. A., and Abreu, R. R., Nature, 184, 2016 (1959).
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ABREU, L., ABREU, R. Effect of Riboflavin on Liver Histomucoid. Nature 192, 261 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1038/192261a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/192261a0
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