The conversion of sodium benzoate to hippuric acid by a cephalopod mollusc

Abstract

1. Hippuric acid in low concentration has been identified tentatively in the normal urine ofOctopus dofleini martini. 2. Intravenous administration of sodium benzoate led to urinary excretion of sodium hippurate which reached a peak in about 8 hours but accounted for only a small percentage of the injected material. 3. Glycine was a limiting factor in the formation of hippuric acid, and when glycine was infused the recovery of administered benzoate was increased to as much as 15 per cent. Conjugation with other compounds was not studied. 4. In vitro experiments showed that the conjugation of benzoic acid with glycine was accomplished in hepato-pancreas, renal appendages and branchial heart, but not by other tissues. The conjugation in each case was substantially increased by the addition of glycine. 5. Few functions have been suggested for the glandular tissue of the branchial heart, which now has been demonstrated to participate in detoxication.