Drugs affecting porphyrin and lipid metabolism in rats: effects exerted by allylisopropylacetamide and related molecules.

Allylisopropylacetamide (AIA), a drug known to cause lesions in porphyrin and lipid metabolism, and drugs with structure related to AIA [propylisopropylacetamide (PIA) and 2-isopropyl-4-hydroxyvaleric acid] were injected subcutaneously into rats. Measurements were taken of the effect of these compounds on the levels of 5-aminolevulinic acid synthetase (ALA synthetase) and hepatic porphyrins and on the values of hepatic and plasmatic triglycerides and plasma free fatty acids. To a different degree, both AIA and PIA increase the activity of ALA synthetase, and also increase the levels of hepatic porphyrins and hepatic and plasmatic triglycerides, while they both initially lower the levels of plasmatic free fatty acids (FFAs). The administration of 2-isopropyl-4-hydroxyvaleric acid has no effect on the parameters studied. The findings seem to suggest that the activity affecting porphyrin and lipid metabolism is connected in both cases with the presence of the amide function.