Clinical Chemistry, Vol 33, 2164-2170, Copyright © 1987 by American Association for Clinical Chemistry

Patterns of porphyrin excretion in feces as determined by liquid chromatography; reference values and the effect of flora suppression

GJ Beukeveld, BG Wolthers, JJ van Saene, TH de Haan, LW de Ruyter-Buitenhuis and RH van Saene
Central Laboratory for Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital, Groningen, The Netherlands.

While determining reference values for porphyrins in feces as measured by liquid chromatography, we observed strong fluctuations in fecal porphyrin contents. To explain these fluctuations, we selectively suppressed the intestinal flora of healthy persons. Suppression of aerobic flora had no effect on fecal porphyrin excretions, whereas suppression of anaerobic flora completely inhibited the transformation of protoporphyrin to pempto- and deuteroporphyrin for as long as five days after stopping medication. During this latter, the conversion to mesoporphyrin was clearly increased in one person and in others partly affected or decreased. During complete suppression of flora for prolonged periods, the production of proto- and coproporphyrins was decreased and deutero-, pempto-, and mesoporphyrins were absent. We conclude that the nature of fecal porphyrins is mostly affected by action of anaerobic bacteria, different kinds of bacteria having different effects. Some, like aerobic Gram-negative bacteria, have little or no effect on porphyrins; some cause production of mesoporphyrin; some promote a conversion to pempto- and deuteroporphyrin; and some mainly cause production of copro- and protoporphyrin. We give examples in which normal to slightly increased excretions of fecal porphyrin do not exclude a diagnosis of porphyria, and relatively high concentrations do not confirm one.

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