- 4-Hydroxyphenylacetic acid is primarily a tyrosine breakdown product. Acinetobacter, Clostridium, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, and Proteus act on food high in tyrosine or tyramine (fermented foods, such as sausages, marmite, soybean products, fish sauce, beers, and wine). C. difficile is known to decarboxylate 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid to produce p-cresol.
- 4-Hydroxyphenylacetic acid is found higher in olives, American cranberries, grape wines; lower in corn, beers, oats, cocoa beans, milk (cow), evening primrose. 4-Hydroxyphenylacetic acid was higher in the urine of those adhering to a Mediterranean diet.
- If elevated, evaluate protein intake, digestion, and gut bacteria. Quercetin has been proposed to reduce radicals of 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid.
- Though the perfect test for small bowel bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) has yet to be devised, limited research has correlated 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid with SIBO.
References:
- http://www.hmdb.ca/metabolites/HMDB0000020
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/476929
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High 4-Hydroxyphenylacetic acid may be associated with small intestinal bacteria overgrowth (SIBO) due to its production by:
- C. difficile
- C. stricklandii
- C. lituseburense
- C. subterminale
- C. putrefaciens
- C. propionicum
C. difficile can be distinguished from the other species by its production of 4-cresol. No other Clostridia species produce 4-cresol.
Elevated values of 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid are common in:
- Celiac disease
- Cystic fibrosis
- Jejuna web
- Transient lactose intolerance
- Giardia infection
- Ileal resection
- Ileo-colic intersusseception
- Septicemia
- Projectile vomiting.
Elevations of 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid in celiac disease and cystic fibrosis are common enough to suggest that these Clostridia bacteria may play a role in these illnesses.
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1-Methylhistidine, 1-Methylhistidine (Plasma), 2-,3-, and 4-Methylhippuric acid, 2-Methylhippuric Acid, 2-Methylsuccinic Acid, 3,4-Dihydroxyhydrocinnamic Acid, 3,5-Dihydroxybenzoic Acid, 3-Methylhistidine (Plasma), 3-Phenylpropionylglycine, 4-Hydroxybenzoic Acid, 4-Hydroxyphenylacetic Acid, 4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvic Acid, 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid, 8-Hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, a-Hydroxybutyric Acid, a-Keto-b-methylvaleric Acid, a-Ketobutyric Acid, a-Ketoglutaric Acid, a-Ketoisocaproic Acid, a-Ketoisovaleric Acid, a-Aminoadipic Acid (Plasma), Adipic Acid, Alanine, Alanine (Plasma), Aldosterone, Anserine (Plasma), Anthranilic Acid, Arabinitol, Arginine (Plasma), Arginosuccinic Acid, Arginosuccinic Acid (Plasma), Asparagine (Plasma), Aspartic Acid (Plasma), b-Hydroxybutyric Acid, b-Hydroxyisovaleric Acid, b-Alanine (Plasma), Benzoic Acid, Benzoylform, Branched Chain Alpha-Keto Organic Acids, Carnosine, Carnosine (Plasma), cis-Aconitic Acid, Citric Acid, Citrulline (Plasma), Cortisol, Cortisone, Creatinine, Cystathionine (Plasma), Cystine (Plasma), D-Lactic Acid, Equol, Ethanolamine (Plasma), Ethylmalonic Acid, Formiminoglutamic Acid, Fructose, Fumaric Acid, g-Aminobutyric Acid (Plasma), Glucaric Acid, Glucose, Glutamic Acid (Plasma), Glutamine (Plasma), Glutamine / Glutamate Ratio (Plasma), Glutaric Acid, Glycine (Plasma), Glycylproline (Plasma), Hexanoylglycine, Hippuric Acid, Histidine (Plasma), Homocitrulline (Plasma), Homocystine (Plasma), Homogentisic Acid, Homovanillic Acid, Hydroxykynurenine, Hydroxyproline, Hydroxyproline (Plasma), Indoleacetic Acid, Isocitric Acid, Isoleucine/allo-Isoleucine (Plasma), KT Ratio (Plasma), Kynurenic Acid, Kynurenine (Plasma), Lactic Acid, Leucine (Plasma), Lysine (Plasma), Malic Acid, Mandelic Acid, Methionine (Plasma), Methylmalonic Acid, Microalbumin, Ornithine, Ornithine (Plasma), Orotic Acid, Oxalic Acid, pH, Phenylacetic Acid, Phenylalanine (Plasma), Phosphate, Phosphoethanolamine (Plasma), Picolinic Acid, Pimelic Acid, Proline (Plasma), Pyridoxic Acid, Pyroglutamic Acid, Pyruvic Acid, Quercetin, Quinolinic Acid, Sarcosine (Plasma), Sebacic Acid, Serine (Plasma), Suberic Acid, Suberylglycine, Succinic Acid, Sulfocysteine (Plasma), Tartaric Acid, Taurine (Plasma), Threonine (Plasma), Total Branched Chain Amino Acids (Plasma), Tryptophan (Plasma), Tyrosine (Plasma), Valine (Plasma), Vannilylmandelic Acid, Xanthurenic Acid
