Studies in detoxication; a study of the relation between conjugation and deamination of p-hydroxybenzylamine and related compounds in the rabbit.

The present work was carried out as part of a programme ofresearch on the inactivation of L-adrenalne (I) in the body. There are two views ofthe mode ofinactivation ofadrenaline: briefly, the first is that the inactivation inv'olves monoamine oxidase which oxidatively deaminates adrenaline, and the second is that the inactivation takes place through conjugation of the hydroxyl groups of adrenaline to produce an inactive ethereal sulphate (cf. Richter, 1940; Richter & MacIntosh, 1941-2). Our plan was to investigate the fate in the body of compounds containing the various structural elements of the adrenaline molecule. Our studies have included, for example, investigations on the metabolism of catechol (II) (Garton & Williams, 1948), p-hydroxybenzylamine (IV), p-hydroxybenzylmethylamine (V), protocatechuic acid (VI) and D-adrenaline (I) (Dodgson, Garton & Williams, 1947).