title: Circadian rhythmicity of polyamine urinary excretion.
abstract: Polyamines are small, highly charged, organic cations of possible regulatory importance in RNA-dependent protein synthesis, the production of which reflects cellular growth and division. The cytokinetics of normal cell populations is circadian rhythmic. This is reflected by a circadian rhythmicity undescribed previously in urinary monoacetylputrescine and the ratio of N1-acetylspermidine to N8-acetylspermidine in healthy individuals. Patients harboring advanced cancers sometimes excrete abnormal quantities of certain acetylated polyamines, and their urine samples may exhibit an abnormally high ratio of N1-acetylspermidine to N8-acetylspermidine. Changes in polyamine production and excretion associated with cancer may be best perceived by rhythmometric analysis of carefully timed samplings.
mesh_terms: D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011073:Polyamines / Q000652:urine*; D011700:Putrescine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000652:urine; D013095:Spermidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000652:urine; D013096:Spermine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D011073:Polyamines; C030223:N(8)-acetylspermidine; C029452:N'-acetylspermine; D013096:Spermine; C026212:N-acetylputrescine; D013095:Spermidine; D011700:Putrescine