title: Gas-liquid chromatographic determination of total phenylacetic acid in urine.
abstract: A gas-liquid chromatographic procedure to measure total phenylacetic acid in urine is described. The method is simple, rapid, and reliable. Normal subjects (N = 48) excreted 141.1 +/- 10.1 mg/24 h. Untreated depressed patients (N = 42) excreted 102.77 +/- 15.9 mg/24 h. The difference in the means is significant and supports the role of phenylacetic acid as a biological marker in certain kinds of mental illnesses.
mesh_terms: D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000379:methods; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000652:urine; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D006868:Hydrolysis; D010648:Phenylacetates / Q000652:urine*
chemical_list: D010648:Phenylacetates; C025136:phenylacetic acid