American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 15, 67-72, Copyright © 1964 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

Blood Cell Transaminase Activity in Human Vitamin B₆ Deficiency

¹ From the U. S. Army Medical Research and Nutrition Laboratory, Fitzsimons General Hospital, Denver, Colorado

The glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase activity was measured in the erythrocytes, leukocytes and plasma of human adults subjected to a vitamin B₆ deficiency. The results demonstrated that the glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase activity in these blood components could not in itself be used to establish the presence of a vitamin B₆ deficiency, even though the subjects studied were considered to be exceedingly deficient, based on the urinary excretion of xanthurenic acid following a tryptophan load test.

The findings suggest that the in vitro stimulation of the erythrocyte glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase activity by pyridoxal phosphate may be a useful measurement in the evaluation of vitamin B₆ nutritional status.

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