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Absorption of biological amines of bacterial origin in normal and sick infants
Insights
Urinary piperidine levels can indicate infant gut bacteria changes. Higher levels in infants with coeliac disease suggest bacterial protein breakdown contributes to
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Pediatrics
- Microbiology
Background:
- Gastrointestinal diamine formation and bacterial colonization are crucial in infant development.
- Urinary piperidine excretion is explored as a marker for these processes.
- Previous research suggested bacterial protein decomposition products may cause 'auto-intoxication'.
Purpose of the Study:
- To monitor diamine formation and intestinal bacterial colonization in infants.
- To investigate urinary piperidine excretion during infant development and in malabsorptive states.
- To establish piperidine excretion as a biochemical index of gastrointestinal flora changes.
Main Methods:
- Developed and applied a gas chromatographic assay for piperidine's dinitrophenyl derivative.
- Utilized mass spectrometry for piperidine identification.
- Expressed piperidine excretion relative to urinary creatinine concentration.
Main Results:
- Piperidine excretion was low in the first week of life, increasing during weaning.
- Significant differences in piperidine excretion were observed between breast-fed and formula-fed infants (4-6 months).
- Infants with untreated coeliac disease showed significantly higher piperidine excretion than healthy infants.
Conclusions:
- Urinary piperidine excretion is a sensitive indicator of gastrointestinal flora alterations in infants.
- Elevated piperidine in coeliac disease suggests a role in bacterial protein decomposition products.
- Piperidine's potential 'auto-intoxicating' properties warrant further investigation in infant health.
Abstract:
This investigation aims at monitoring the formation of diamines in the gastrointestinal tract of human infants, and thereby also the bacterial colonization of the intestine, by studying the urinary excretion of the heterocyclic amine piperidine during development and in different malabsorptive states. A gas chromatographic assay of the dinitrophenyl derivative of piperidine and a mass spectrometric method of identification were worked out and applied. The piperidine excretion was expressed in units of urinary creatinine concentration. Adult women show a greater variation than men, both inter- and intra-individually. The piperidine excretion is very low and mostly undetectable in the first week of life. There is an increase in weaning, with a significant difference between breast-fed and formula-fed infants at 4--6 months. There is a significant difference between infants suffering from untreated coeliac disease and infants without malabsorption. The findings indicate that piperidine excretion is a sensitive biochemical index of changes in the gastrointestinal flora. The high excretion in coeliac disease suggests that piperidine, which is known to have nicotine-like synaptic activity in the CNS, is one of the hitherto unidentified 'auto-intoxicating' substances arising from the bacterial decomposition of protein suggested by Metchnikoff in 1903.