Mark R. Everett

Determination of Serum Polysaccharides by the Tryptophane Reaction.

Summary A colorimetric method based on the reaction of tryptophane with carbohydrates is described for the determination of serum non-glucosamine polysaccharide. The absorption maximum for the carbohy-drate-tryptophane compound is at 500 mμ for galactose and for mannose, 460 mμ for glucose, and 520 m//, for fructose. Glucuronic acid, glucosamine, and hemoglobin have maxima at wave lengths below 400 mμ. Glucuronic acid also exhibits a weak band at 480-500 mμ. The absorption curves for alcohol precipitates from serum, ascitic fluid, and hydrocele fluid differ from postulated galactose-mannose-glucosamine curves by showing greater absorption in the 400-480 mμ, range. This difference diminishes when the polysaccharide is partly freed from protein. Hemolysis, if marked, introduces a positive error in the method. The color produced by the carbohydrate tryptophane reaction obeys the Lambert-Beers law within the limits investigated.

Serum polysaccharide level in the normal state.

Summary and Conclusions Studies of serum polysaccharides were made on a total of 66 normal persons including fetal, children, young adult, and aged representatives. The serum polysaccharide (both non-glucosamine and glucosamine) was lowest in the fetal group and highest in the aged representatives, the children and young adult groups being intermediate, thus showing a tendency to increase with age. Concentrations of serum polysaccharide (both non-glucosamine and glucosamine) for young adults were significantly higher than those of fetal serums, and significantly lower than for the aged. The total protein for young adults was significantly higher than in fetal sera. Significant positive correlations were found between non-glucosamine polysaccharide and total protein and also between non-glucosamine polysaccharide and glucosamine. In the same individual, non-glucosamine serum polysaccharide and glucosamine were subject to about the same variation as serum protein over a period of sixteen months. Small variations in diet appeared to have little effect. No appreciable changes occurred in serum polysaccharides during the menstrual cycle.

Serum Polysaccharide Levels in Experimental Inflammation.

Summary and Conclusions Studies were made of serum polysaccharide levels in dogs following the production of sterile turpentine abscesses, of bacterial abscesses, and of talc granulomas, the injection of turpentine intrapleurally, and experimental surgical operations. In all cases the polysaccharide level rose and the maximal level depended somewhat upon the type of inflammation. Elevation occurred both in the presence and absence of fever. The maximal elevation appeared within 3 to 6 days after the initial injury. The suggestion is made that this phenomenon is correlated in some way with tissue proliferation or repair.

Glucoside Type of Cerebroside in the Spleen in Gaucher's Disease

Conclusions The isolated cerebroside was not the customary kerasin; it contained d-glucose in place of the usual d-galactose component, as proven by fermentation, optical rotation and reducing equivalents. Halliday, et al., suggested that the cerebroside isolated by them might represent an anomaly of carbohydrate metabolism. Our results, and those recently reported by Klenk and Schumann, 9 indicate that synthesis of a glucoside type of splenic kerasin is a frequent occurrence in Gauchers disease.

Effect of Fever on Serum Polysaccharide Level

Summary and Conclusions Experimental fever in dogs caused by external heating or by injection of a pyrogenic substance resulted in a significant elevation of total serum nonglu-cosamine polysaccharide. An elevation of the polysaccharide content of the pseudo-globulin was noted in all animals, while an elevation of mucoprotein was noted only in the animals subjected to the injections of the pyrogenic substance, pyromen.

Color Reactions of Keturonic Acids and a Color Test Differentiating α- and β-Glucosides.∗:

Color reactions of the keturonic acids have recently become of importance to biology and medicine. In previous papers we have shown that a series of these acids can be prepared from carbohydrates by oxidation of their aqueous solutions with bromine. 1 , 2 The solutions of the keturonic acids used in the experiments reported here were prepared as follows: 1% solutions of pure carbohydrates were placed in glass-stoppered flasks together with enough bromine to provide a small excess of liquid bromine throughout the experiments. These mixtures were kept in the dark for 42 days at 25 °C. They were then aerated with washed air (and at times with carbon dioxide) to remove the excess bromine and then neutralized with potassium hydroxide to pH 7, using a spot plate. The color tests were applied to aliquots, with the results given in Table I. In the ferric chloride test of Fenton and Jones 2 we added one drop of 10% ferric chloride solution and 3 drops of 10% potassium hydroxide solution to 5 cc. of neutral sugar solution. The purple color obtained from oxidized glycerol solution indicates that hydroxypyruvic acid is formed 3 and the similar colors from oxidized erythritol, inositol and the pentoses suggest similar products in these cases. These keturonic acids, and also those from glucosamine and ascorbic acid, give green Molisch 4 tests. The Molisch colors from oxidized α- and β-methylhexosides are distinctly different. Oxidation products from triite and tetrite alcohols give no ketose reactions; those from pentites, the Tashiro-Tietz reaction 4 ; those from hexites and heptites give both the Selivanoff 4 and Tashiro-Tietz reactions. Only keturonic acids from aldoheptoses give positive ketose reactions. Oxidized ketoses, together with their oligo- and polysaccharides, still give positive ketose reactions. The behavior of glucosans and ascorbic acid with these reagents is note-worthy.