Depletion of phenylalanine in the blood of phenylketonuric patients using a PAL-enzyme reactor. An in vitro study.

Blood samples obtained from eight adult phenylketonuric individuals had a mean phenylalanine level of 25 mg/dl. When these samples were circulated through multitubular enzyme-reactors prepared with immobilized phenylalanine ammonia lyase an average of 77% of phenylalanine was metabolized within 30 minutes. We conclude that phenylalanine in human phenylketonuric blood is just as susceptible to metabolism by PAL-enzyme reactors as phenylalanine that is added to normal blood, or that is circulating in dogs and monkeys made hyperphenylalaninemic by experimental means.