Photo-Chemical Activation of Adenine

Abstract

EARLIER¹ it was found that adenine sulphate on irradiation by a mercury arc acquired growth-promoting properties. The material was tested on rats, receiving a synthetic basal diet deficient in vitamin B, supplemented by ox kidney extract as a source of vitamin B₂. Since those preliminary experiments a large number of tests have been carried out with rats and pigeons. In most experiments adenine sulphate in aqueous suspension (slightly acidified) was exposed to a Hanovia Home Sun (220 volts, consuming 2.1 amp.) at 15 cm. distance for ½–1 hour. The irradiated product has proved unable to cure polyneuritis in pigeons even in 5 mgm. doses. But the same daily dose supported growth in 36 young rats which had ceased to grow on a diet composed of starch, caseinogen and McCollum's salt mixture supplemented by cod liver oil and an aqueous extract of ox kidney, which provided vitamin B₂ and a small quantity of vitamin B₁. Irradiated adenine gave no response in young rats (31 in number), receiving ox liver extract or autoclaved marmite as the source of vitamin B₂. Irradiated guanine chloride, cytosine chloride and uracil did not resemble the action of irradiated adenine in preliminary experiments (7 rats were used). Irradiated adenine could not replace vitamin B₂ in the diet.