Studies on so-called protective ferments--IX. Antitryptic index in its relation to the clinical manifestations of anaphylaxis

Abstract

The convulsions in eclampsia and epilepsy, as well as the respiratory failure in asthma have been repeatedly considered as an expression of anaphylactic reaction, though no definite proofs were offered for such a view. The theory of specific parenteral digestion of Vaughan, as applied by Abderhalden and his pupils to diagnosis of different pathological conditions, brought forward new possibilities of investigation in this direction. According to results obtained by means of Abderhalden reaction many authors concluded that the patients, suffering from the conditions mentioned above, show active specific parenteral digestion of different tissues, as evidenced by the presence of specific proteolytic ferments in their blood. As I have shown it elsewhere, this conception of the mechanism of parenteral digestion is not correct. The results obtained by means of the Abderhalden reaction are nevertheless of value as they show at certain specific changes have taken place in the blood of the patients, by means of which the specific parenteral digestion is made possible through the liberation of normal proteolytic enzyme. We have shown in another paper that the products of such digestion may be toxic and if produced in vivo may cause anaphylactic symptoms. Considering the close outward resemblance between the anaphylactic shock and the symptom complex in epileptic or eclamptic convulsions and asthmatic attack, we were interested to see if these phenomena depend on actual parenteral digestion and production of anaphylatoxin in the same measure as does anaphylactic shock. We have called the attention to the rôle of antitrypsin in the question of activation of normal protolytic ferments of the blood. We have suggested that the combination of antigen with its antibody is followed by the diminution of antitryptic properties of the blood serum and resulting autodigestion of the serum.