title: Elevated urinary excretion of beta-aminoisobutyric acid and exposure to inorganic lead.
abstract: beta-Aminoisobutyric acid (beta-AIB), a normal degradation product of thymine, a constituent of DNA and, to a lesser extent, of transfer RNA, is excreted in low levels in human urine. We found that a group of iron workers occupationally exposed to inorganic lead excreted high levels of urinary beta-AIB. Elevated urinary excretion of beta-AIB was also observed in marmosets, Callithrix jacchus, that received lead acetate in drinking water. Our results suggest that increased urinary excretion of beta-AIB could stem from damage to DNA on exposure to lead.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000621:Aminoisobutyric Acids / Q000652:urine*; D000818:Animals; D002144:Callithrix; D006801:Humans; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000652:urine*; D008297:Male; D008669:Metallurgy; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000652:urine; D011524:Protoporphyrins / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000621:Aminoisobutyric Acids; D011524:Protoporphyrins; C017803:zinc protoporphyrin; C033435:3-aminoisobutyric acid