Urinary excretion of indolic compounds in rats with intestinal pouches

¹ Medical Clinic, Peter Bent Brigham Hospital; and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

The urinary excretion of indican and of free and total indoleacetic acid is significantly increased in the rat in the presence of a localized area of intestinal stasis produced surgically by the creation of a pouch in the small intestine. Tryptamine, serotonin and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid excretion in the urine is not altered. Evidence that intestinal stasis and bacterial activity within the pouch are responsible for the increased amounts of indican and indoleacetic acid in the urine is supported by the facts that a) indole compounds are not increased in the urine when the intestinal pouch is formed so that peristalsis keeps it empty, b) removal of the intestinal pouch results in a reduction of indican and indoleacetic acid to normal levels within 24 hours and c) oral administration of neomycin promptly reduces the excretion of these compounds to normal levels.