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Urine Metabolism Tests

Urine Metabolism

Pyrroles, Pyrroluria (Kryptopyrrole, Mauve Factor)

  • Turn around-time = 5 to 7 days.
  • A urine test for diagnosis and monitoring severe physiological or psychological stress.

Pyrroles appear in the urine of patients undergoing severe physiological or psychological stress. The presence of urinary pyrroles (mauve factor) was first reported in patients with LSD psychosis. Later, high levels of pyrroles were found in the urine of schizophrenic patients. The chemical structure is a 2,4 dimethyl-3-ethylpyrrole. It is also called kryptopyrrole. Kryptos comes from the Greek word "hidden."

In normal urine, the amount of pyrroles excreted is small, less than 20 ug/dL. It has been reported that kryptopyrrole will form a Shiff base with the aldehyde form of vitamin B6 in the blood. This combination will then bind with zinc. As large amounts of kryptopyrroles are excreted in the urine, it depletes the blood of B6 and zinc. Kryptopyrroles may be found in the urine of 11% of "normals;" 24% of "disturbed children;" 42% of psychiatric patients, and 52% of schizophrenic patients.

Urine specimen collection and transport is very important for proper test results. Kits for shipping can be obtained from the laboratory. A brown, plastic tube containing 500 mg of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is filled with urine, no less than ½ full and no more than ¾ full. The urine is mixed and frozen. Ship frozen with a cold pack by overnight delivery.

Normal reference range is less than 20 ug/dL. A "borderline" value is between 10 to 20 ug/dL.

Selected References:

  1. Irving DG: Apparent non-indolic ehrlich-positive substances related to mental illness. J Neuropsychiat, 1961;2:292-305.
  2. Hoffer A, Mahon M: The presence of unidentified substances in the urine of psychiatric patients. J Neuropsychiat, 1961;2:331-397.
  3. Irvine DG, Bayne W, et al: Identification of kryptopyrrole in human urine and its relationship to psychosis. Nature, 1969;224:811-813.
  4. Pfeiffer CC, Lliev V: Pyrroluria, urinary mauve factor, causes double deficiency of B6 and zinc in schizophrenics. Fed Proc, 1973;32:276.
  5. Jackson JA, Riordan HD, Neathery S: Vitamins, blood lead and urine pyrroles in Down Syndrome patients. Amer Clin Lab, 1990:Jan- Feb:8-9.
  6. Jackson JA, Riordan HD, Neathery S, Riordan N: Urinary pyrroles in health and disease. J Orthomol Med, 1997: 12;2:96-98.

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