An investigation into anti-ketogenic bodies

Many oxidizable substances, for example glycerol and sorbitol, decrease the formation of ketone bodies in rat liver slices, but as yet little is known of the mechanism by which these compounds exert their antiketogenic action. During a survey of potential antiketogenic compounds it was found that glyco-aldehyde is known to break down initially through oxidation by aldehyde dehydrogenase to glycollate and this in turn is oxidized to glyoxylate by glycollate oxidase. Glyoxylate can form glycine by transamination or it can be oxidized to Formalin and Carbon Dioxide. Evidence was presented in this paper suggesting that glyoxylate is responsible for the apparent decrease in the formation of acetoacetate by rat liver slices when glycoaldehyde is the added substance and the decrease is due to the non-enzymic condensation of aceto-acetate and glyoxylate (AU)

Simple hypotensive and hypertensive principles from some West Indian medicinal plants

Examination of those plant extracts which were previously found (Feng and others, 1962) to have transient depressor activity has led to the isolation of gamma-aminobutyric acid, from the leaves of Artocarpus incisa L. and Piper amalago L. and to the demonstration by paper chromatography of its presence of several extracts. Extracts showing pressor activity were also examined and tyramine has been isolated from Phoradendron wattii Kr. and Urb. and dopamine has been shown by paper chromatography to be present in Piper amalago L. and Stachytarpheta jamaicensis Vahl(AU)