THE PYRIDINE NUCLEOTIDE CONTENT OF HUMAN BLOOD CELLS IN ANEMIA

Abstract

The pyridine nucleotide content of the blood cells was measured in five normal individuals and in 27 hospital patients with various degrees of anemia. The pyridine nucleotide values of 12 anemic patients who had consumed an adequate diet for some time prior to the study were higher than those of the normal subjects. A negative correlation was observed between the cellular pyridine nucleotide content and the severity of the anemia when the latter was expressed as the logarithm of either the red cell count or the hemoglobin concentration. The remaining 15 patients had dietary histories suggestive of a low intake of niacin and protein. The blood cell pyridine nucleotide levels of this group were of the same order as those of the normal subjects but in most cases were distinctly below those of the well nourished anemic patients with a comparable degree of anemia.