Spectrophotometric estimation of urinary taurine.

The amino-acid taurine has been shown to be a normal urinary constituent (Dent, 1948). Employing a quantitative chromatographic technique a diminished taurine excretion in cystinuria (Stein, 1951) and in Wilson's disease (Stein, Bearn, and Moore. 1954) has been detected. An increased taurine excretion. on the other hand, has been used as a sensitive index of minor liver damage in infectious hepatitis and cirrhosis (Dent and Walshe, 1954). A method of estimation of taurine, without resort to chromatographic techniques, has not hitherto been available. A simple method of estimation of this amino-acid as its dinitrophenvl (D.N.P.) derivative is here presented. Method