FORMATION OF UREA IN LIVER HOMOGENATES FROM CITRULLINE AND VARIOUS N-ALKYL DERIVATIVES OF ASPARTIC ACID.

The effects of various N-alkylated derivatives of aspartic acid on the synthesis of urea by rat liver homogenates have been studied. At 5 × 10−3 M concentration, N-methyl, N-ethyl, N-isopropyl, and N-cyclohexyl aspartic acids are not utilized and have no effect on the formation of urea. At this concentration, N-allyl-DL-aspartic acid inhibits the formation of endogenous urea by 77%. At concentrations of 2.5 to 7.5 × 10−2 M, N-methyl, N-ethyl, and N-isopropyl aspartic acids slightly increase the formation of endogenous urea; this is about 15% of the value obtained when aspartic acid alone is added at the same concentration. In the case of simple N-alkylated aspartic acids, liver homogenates are able to cleave the alkylated chain with the result that a small amount of urea synthesis is possible. N-allylaspartic acid totally inhibits the formation of urea from aspartic acid at a relatively low concentration of 6.2 × 10−3 M. N-cyclohexylaspartic acid has also an inhibitory effect which is ten times less prono...