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Role of Intestinal Microflora in the Metabolism of Guanidinosuccinic Acid

^a National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20014

ABSTRACT

Among a variety of bacteria isolated from the gastrointestinal tracts of rats and humans, only streptococci of group N are capable of degrading guanidinosuccinic acid added to their culture medium. The urinary excretion of guanidinosuccinic acid by germfree rats is greater than that of conventional rats. The excretion of this compound by gnotobiotic rats correlates with the capacity of their intestinal microflora to degrade guanidinosuccinic acid in culture. Thus, guanidinosuccinic acid excretion is low in rats infected exclusively with Streptococcus faecalis, and the excretion is not altered when germfree rats are infected with an organism unable to degrade guanidinosuccinic acid (Lactobacillus). These findings suggest that the intestinal microflora, particularly Streptococcus, play a role in the metabolism of guanidinosuccinic acid by the host.

¹ Present address. Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, Mass. 02215.