A microcomputer program for determining turnover rates before and after intervention in a single animal.

A set of three programs to calculate the turnover of biomolecules whose metabolism follows a steady-state precursor-product relationship and follows the open, single-compartment kinetics model has been written in MS-BASIC. The programs comprise a system for determining two values of turnover, before and after an intervention which may alter the turnover rate, in a single animal. The programs have been extensively tested in our laboratory for the determination of norepinephrine turnover under differing physiological and pharmacological conditions. The utility of the programs lies in their ability to readily adapt to turnover determinations for any substance whose metabolic pathway conforms to the model constraints. This includes the biogenic amine neurotransmitters, peptides and proteins, and many small biological molecules or pharmacological agents.