Detection of Formimino-glutamic and Urocanic Acids in Urine by Means of Thin-layer Chromatography.

A simple and rapid method has been developed for the simultaneous separation and semi-quantitative estimation of formimino-glutamic and urocanic acids in urine. The urinary excretion of these compounds in a group of normal subjects and in a number of illustrative cases has been determined. In view of current opinion that it is the total of these two metabolites of histidine which is the significant figure in clinical investigation, their simultaneous separation and measurement is an important advantage of the method.