title: Urinary excretion of 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid and 5-hydroxytryptophol after oral loading with serotonin.
abstract: The urinary excretion patterns of the serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) metabolites 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA) and 5-hydroxytryptophol (5-HTOL) were examined after ingestion of bananas, a food rich in 5-HT. The bananas contained on an average 25 micrograms 5-HT/g pulp. Both urinary 5-HIAA and 5-HTOL increased markedly (15- to 30-fold) shortly after eating 3-4 bananas, with the highest concentrations found in urine specimens collected after 2-4 h, and did not return to normal until after 8-10 h. The excretion of 5-HIAA increased from a control mean value of 3.9 mg/24 h to 12.7 mg/24 h, when conventional diets were supplemented with 3-4 bananas. The corresponding results for 5-HTOL were 16.8 micrograms/24 h and 60.7 micrograms/24 h, respectively. Of the banana-derived 5-HT ingested, 60-80% was recovered in the urine as 5-HIAA and only 0.3-0.5% as 5-HTOL. However, since both the time-course and relative increase in 5-HTOL was similar to that of 5-HIAA, there was no effect on the urinary 5-HTOL to 5-HIAA ratio. By contrast, acute alcohol consumption produced a considerable elevation of this ratio.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry St. Göran's Hospital, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Helander
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wikström
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Löwenmo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jacobsson
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Beck
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid / Q000652:urine*; D006917:Hydroxytryptophol / Q000652:urine*; D008297:Male; D012701:Serotonin / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*
chemical_list: D006917:Hydroxytryptophol; D012701:Serotonin; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid