Carbohydrate Substances Research Articles

Studies on Larch Arabogalactan I

Arabogalactan is a carbohydrate substance extracted from the stems of Larix occidentalis. Its properties and the properties of its aqueous solution have been studied, the LD50 of the compound has been determined, and a thirty-day feeding study has been carried out in which it formed 0, 2, 10, and 25 per cent of the diet of groups of albino rats. The results indicate that arabogalactan is essentially nontoxic. Its use as an emulsifier has been studied and shows it to be useful; particularly for the production of stable, low-viscosity emulsions.

Histochemically Demonstrable Carbohydrates of Appendageal Tumors of the Skin: I. Benign Eccrine Gland Tumors

In the preceding publications in this series we have discussed the use of the Alcian Blue technic for the histochemical demonstration of acid substances in human skin (1), the correlation between results of comparison of Alcian Blue (AB) staining and the periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) reaction (2), the results of the application of these two technics to sections of normal human skin (3), and to tumors of ecerine gland origin (4), as well as to basal cell epitheliomas (5). It has been shown that these technies are useful for the demonstration of carbohydrate substances in tissue sections. They have the advantage over other histologic technic for carbohydrates in that they are relatively simple and give highly reproducible results. Furthermore, their actual chemistry is reasonably well known, in contrast to many other commonly used teehnies. To summarize, the PAS reaction is known to stain all substances containing 1—2 glycol linkages (in the main, hexoses), as well as related substituted amines, and possibly certain unsaturated lipids. Two color reactions appear in histologic sections, magenta and red (2). With the significant exception of glycogen, those substances stained magenta by PAS are positive to AB, while those substances stained red by PAS are AB negative. It is our opinion that the former are possibly made up of certain acid mueopolysaccharides and acidic mucoproteins, while the latter consist in large part of neutral mueopolysaccharides, neutral mucoproteins, and glycoproteins. On the other hand, many acidic substances, such as nuclear DNA, as well as certain acid mucopolysaccbarides, are AB positive but PAS negative.

The Four-Carbon Saccharinic Acids

This chapter discusses the four-carbon saccharinic acids. When an aqueous solution of a carbohydrate is treated with a base, carbohydrate substances known as “saccharinic acids” are produced. During the oxidation of maltose in alkaline solution, an acid had been produced whose phenylhydrazide had an analysis agreeing perfectly with that calculated for a four-carbon saccharinic acid. The properties of the free acid were those that would be expected of one of these acids. Its configuration could not, however, be reported at that time because of the absence of data as to the properties and constants of the four-carbon saccharinic acids. The chapter describes the synthesis of the four-carbon saccharinic acids that includes: (1) 3,4-dihydroxybutanoic acids, (2) 2 ,4-dihydroxybutanoic acids, (3) 2 ,3-dihydroxybutanoic acids, and (4) 3-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)propanoic acid. 2,4-Dihydroxybutanoic acid, a 3-deoxytetronic acid, is the only theoretically possible four-carbon metasaccharinic acid ; it was isolated by Nef in the DL form in the course of his work on the action of sodium hydroxide on D-arabinose. It therefore constitutes the only four-carbon saccharinic acid isolated to date from a sugar-alkali reaction.

The solubility and properties of a purified ichthyocol in salt solutions of neutral pH.

1. Purified citrate-extracted ichthyocol obtained from carp swim bladders has been further characterized with respect to its content of certain amino acids and carbohydrate substances. 2. The degree of solubilization or dispersion of ichthyocol by solutions of certain salts maintained in the range of neutral pH and at a temperature of 0-2 degrees C. has been determined. 3. While a number of salts of monovalent cations had no significant solubilizing effects on ichthyocol, ammonium chloride in a concentration of 1 M did cause solution of the protein. 4. Sodium thiosulfate in a range of concentrations caused the solubilization of ichthyocol but was most effective in an intermediate concentration of 0.25 M. 5. Several salts of divalent cations, in particular the chlorides of calcium, magnesium, and barium, and magnesium thiosulfate in concentrations ranging from 0.3 to 1 M caused the immediate and complete solubilization of the ichthyocol. 6. Solutions of ichthyocol in calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, and sodium thiosulfate buffered or adjusted to pH 7.0, were studied with respect to intrinsic viscosity of the protein, optical rotation, ultracentrifugal sedimentation, and reconstitution into fibers. It was found in each case that the original characteristics of the collagen, as determined previously in acid solution, were maintained when the protein was dissolved in salt solutions of neutral pH. No evidence of denaturation or gelatinization could be found when ichthyocol was solubilized under the stated conditions. 7. Collagen in neutral solution with sodium thiosulfate, calcium chloride, or magnesium chloride was not attacked by trypsin as determined viscometrically at 20.0 degrees C., but was rapidly degraded by a purified bacterial collagenase.

A histochemical study of the shell gland of Scyliorhinus caniculus.

The shell gland of Scyliorhinus caniculus has been investigated histochemically and chromatographically. On the basis of histochemical reactions the gland is divided into five distinct regions, Zones A to E. These zones secrete respectively a carbohydrate, a carbohydrate substance which is metachromatic, a polyphenol oxidase, a protein, a phenol, and perhaps a phenolic protein and a basic protein. With reference to the histochemical findings and incubation experiments various modes of sclerotin formation are discussed. On the basis of histochemical evidence it is concluded that sclerotin formation could be as deduced by Brunet and Kent (1956) from their work on the oötheca of Blatta and Periplaneta but this is not supported by the incubation experiments. The weight of evidence presented here therefore favours an auto quinone tanning system in the formation of the egg case of Scyliorhinus caniculus.

Coronary blood flow, myocardial oxygen consumption, and myocardial metabolism in normal and hyperthyroid human subjects.

The effects of thyroid hormone excess on myocardial hemodynamics and carbohydrate metabolism were determined in a group of subjects, and the findings compared with those obtained in a group of normal individuals. The results indicate that in thyrotoxicosis there tends to be an increase in coronary blood flow and myocardial oxygen consumption and a normal per cent extraction of oxygen by the myocardium. The metabolism of glucose, lactic acid, and pyruvic acid was virtually identical in the 2 groups. No relationship was demonstrable between the arterial levels of the carbohydrate substances and their extraction by the heart.

Transformation of Blood Group Substance by Bacterial Enzyme

When the group A substance decomposing enzyme is allowed to act with group A human saliva, the group A substance is decomposed and at the same time O substance is increased.When the O substance decomposing enzyme is allowed to act with carbohydrate substances from group A human saliva, group A human blood cells and group A hog stomach linings, and after decomposition of O substance, . the A-decomposing enzyme is allowed to act with it, group A specificity disappears and O substance appears. Consequently, it is considered that the A-decomposing enzyme isolates the determinant group of group A substance and transforms it into O substance.

Ineffectiveness of carob flour in infantile diarrhea.

THERAPEUTIC control of diarrhea have for many years included the use of a vast array of vegetable derivatives containing pectin and lignin. These complex carbohydrate substances have been clearly shown to exert a distinct effect upon the character of the diarrheal stool. This effect upon the appearance and consistency of the stool has been construed to indicate an effect upon the course of the diarrheal disease state. Inasmuch as the chief effects of the latter are fluid and electrolyte loss and a resultant alteration in intra- and extra-cellular fluid balance, an evaluation of the effect of such therapy in diarrhea should be based upon a determination of the degree to which fluid and electrolyte loss is inhibited rather than upon an alteration in the character of the stool. Such an evaluation of a controlled series of 47 cases of etiologically related infantile diarrhea designed to determine the effect of pectin

Studies of the Carbohydrate Metabolism of Mammary Gland Tissue in Vitro. I. Production and Utilization of Various Carbohydrate Substances

Summary 1. It has been possible to increase the concentration of gycogen in perfused mammary gland tissue to a level comparable to that of normal intact mammary glands. This was accomplished by the perfusion of excised mammary glands with high concentrations of blood glucose. 2. It has been possible to convert the glycogen formed during perfusion to lactose by means of incubation of the perfused tissues. This does not in any way prove that this is the path of lactose formation in mammary glands, but it appears to be a possible mode of metabolism by which several compounds could be converted to lactose. 3. Glycogen could not be increased in incubating tissue breis from glucose, lactic acid, pyruvic acid and citric acid individually, and in combinations of these, as well as in the presence of added glycogen. 4. Lactose was formed during incubation of mammary tissue slices with glucose, glucose and lactic acid, maltose, and glycogen. 5. Lactic acid was formed in incubating tissue alone, as well as from added glucose, maltose, glycogen, pyruvic acid, and citric acid.

The Utilization of Certain Nitrogenous and Carbohydrate Substances by the Southern Armyworm, Prodenia Eridania Cram

Our present knowledge of the nutritional requirements of insects pertains chiefly to those forms, such as cockroaches and stored products insects, that can easily be fed prepared diets. Leaf-eating insects present a distinct problem because of the nature of their food and the difficulty of causing them to feed on anything but their specific host plant or plants in the natural condition. Some recent work has been done on the utilization of various constituents of green leaves by several lepidopterous larvae (Brown, 1930; Evans, 1938, 1939a, 1939b) and by a grasshopper (Brown, 1937b). The present work, conducted along these same lines, was an effort to determine what nutrient materials the experimental insect was getting from its leaf-food.

Influence of certain carbohydrate substances upon the interfacial tension between water and cyclohexane

Influence of certain carbohydrate substances upon the interfacial tension between water and cyclohexane

Effect of Pneumococcus Type III Specific Polysaccharide on Sedimentation of Blood Cells

During the course of experiments with the specific polysaccharide prepared from a type III strain of pneumococcus by the method of Avery, Kendall, and Scherp, it was noted that this material greatly increased the sedimentation fate of titrated human blood. This initial finding has been confirmed, and additional observations have been made, which we desire to present in a preliminary paper. The effect of the S III on the sedimentation rate of blood cells can be demonstrated with heparinized or defibrinated blood, as well as with citrated blood. The effect of concentration of the S III on the sedimentation rate of citrated human blood is indicated by the data in Table I. The mixtures of blood and S III were drawn up in tubes of 2 mm. bore to a height of 200 mm., and the sedimentation read as the height of the clear plasma. A carbohydrate substance isolated from a mucoid variant of B. coli by C. Lawrence of this laboratory had a similar effect in increasing the sedimentation rate of blood cells. Gelatin acted in the same way, as did gastric mucin, but to a degree much less pronounced than did the specific polysaccharide of the pneumococcus. Glucose in concentrations up to 1% had no appreciable effect on the phenomenon in question. When mixtures of the S III of the pneumococcus and homologous antiserum are allowed to stand for 15 minutes, and are then'added to blood, the increase in sedimentation rate is markedly diminished, as is shown in Table II. When 1 mg. of the specific polysaccharide was mixed with 1 cc. of blood, the color of the mixture darkened sooner than the control. On shaking the darkened blood, the color was restored to a bright red, only to darken again before the control.

The Preparation of Specific Bacterial Carbohydrate Substances by Electrolysis

The effect of electric current on bacterial and yeast cells has been extensively studied by numerous investigators. Friedenthal1 in 1896 made a rather comprehensive review of the earlier works. Later, the same subject was fully studied by Zeit2 and Kraus.3 More recently Tracy4 made a study on the lethal effect of alternating current on yeast cells. It is generally believed that the bactericidal action is due to the toxic products of electrolysis and the heat generated in the solution. While these workers were interested in the bactericidal and bacteriostatic effects, it appears that little attention has been paid to the phenomenon of lysis which occurs when a saline suspension of bacterial and yeast cells has been subjected to the passage of a strong direct electric current for a suitable length of time. In the present study we have centered our interests on the phenomonon of such lysis which has led us to the finding of the specific bacterial carbohydrate substances from the electrolysed bacterial and yeast cell suspensions. The aim of this report is to present our observations made on dissolution of bacterial and yeast cells with an account of the procedure by which the specific bacterial carbohydrate substances from a strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae (Friedlande^s bacillus) and Monilia tropicalis were obtained by electrolysis. A comparative study was also made on the serological and a few chemical properties of the specific carbohydrate substances obtained by electrolysis and those obtained by the well-known alkaline-extraction method.

Development of Precipitins for Protein, Lipoid and Carbohydrate Fractions of S and R Forms of Tubercle Bacilli

Summary Complement-fixation had shown that there were antigenic differences between the S and R forms of the tubercle bacillus, the precipitation tests recorded in this paper indicate small differences in the protein and carbohydrate substances in S and R organisms, although both chemical groups have common fractions. Lipoid fractions show no type specificity. During the process of immunization with killed S tubercle bacilli, there is a relative increase in precipitins for proteins and carbohydrates from S organisms over that of precipitins for R proteins and carbohydrates. R antisera on the other hand increased in relative reactivity with R protein. S antisera reacted relatively more strongly with purified globulin and polysaccharide preparations made from virulent cultures of human tubercle bacilli than did R antisera. The latter gave a relatively stronger reaction with purified albumin.

Carbohydrate Fractions from Vibrio Cholerae, and Related Organisms.

We have shown that the carbohydrate substances extracted from Vibrio cholerae, and related organisms, are so closely allied that cross-reactions will occur between them and immune sera at high dilutions. This cross-relationship was independent of the agglutination reaction, to differentiate the presumably pathogenic from non-pathogenic vibrios, since carbohydrate from a water vibrio, for example, would precipitate with serum against a pathogenic form, or against a rough non-agglutinable form. The vibrios included pathogenic smooth agglutinating forms, rough forms, some of which agglutinated and some of which did not, from human sources and from water, and non-agglutinating smooth water vibrios. These vibrios were characterized by the possession of a carbohydrate which was very similar if not identical in all. A closer study has now been made of the carbohydrates of these organisms. The method of carbohydrate extraction will be given in detail subsequently. The 48-hour growth of 300 to 500 Roux flasks is washed off in normal saline, of which 10 cc. or less is used for each bottle. Glacial acetic acid is added to the washings to make a N/20 solution, and the organisms are then boiled under reflux until coagulation. Upon cooling, clumps fall to the bottom and leave a clear yellow supernatant fluid. Coagulation time varies with the type of organism. With rough organisms coagulation and clumping may take place between 10 minutes and one hour; smooth organisms, from 3 to 6 hours. The organisms are removed from the extract in a Sharpies super centrifuge, and the extract filtered to a water clearness in Seitz filters. After concentration to approximately 500 cc, the extract is precipitated with 3 volumes of absolute alcohol. The alcohol precipitation is repeated at least 6 times and the usual protein reactions become negative after the second or third precipitations.

Popular names of crude drugs

Molecular identification of aged black carbon (BC) is problematic owing to potential interference of non-charred aromatic organic matter and to a general lack of techniques that are capable of providing detailed chemistry of it. Pyrolysis-GC/MS is thought to be unsuitable for analysis of BC because the pyrolysis step itself causes molecular rearrangements that may interfere with the thermal modifications by natural burning, and because a significant fraction of BC is not pyrolysable.We optimised a coil probe pyrolysis method for BC by analysing both a lignin-rich peat sample and an aged legume-derived charcoal at various temperatures (400–1200 °C). Pyrolysis at 750 °C for 10 s combined acceptable thermal modifications to the pyrolysed peat with high-quality chromatograms from charcoal.Using this method we analysed 91 samples of up to >11,000 yrs old oak, birch and legume charcoal from a colluvial soil in NW Spain. The charcoal produced a large suite of aromatic compounds that can be considered characteristic of BC in this study: benzene, toluene, PAHs (naphthalene, biphenyl, fluorene and phenanthrene) and N- and O-containing (poly)aromatics (e.g. dibenzofuran and benzonitrile). A series of N-containing compounds that had not been previously reported in charcoal pyrolysates were found (C1-benzoxazole, benzene dicarbonitriles, 2-phenylpyridine, naphthalenecarbonitrile, 2-biphenylcarbonitrile). Small amounts of short-chain n-alkane/n-alkene pairs indicated some aliphatic material had survived the fire. Uncharred or weakly charred carbohydrate substances in the charcoal were identified as levoglucosan, levoglucosenone, furans and furaldehydes.Charcoal fragments from different plants produced similar pyrolysates. Markers of ‘thermolabile’ (non-charred or weakly charred) biomass disappeared as sample age increased. Nonetheless, signal intensity improved with age, suggesting that the pyrolysability of the relatively ‘thermostable’ (condensed) BC fraction increased. We postulate that gradual oxidation of the condensed aromatic backbone of BC enhanced its susceptibility to pyrolysis.

Societies and Academies

LONDON. Royal Society, May 8.—Sir Archibald Geikie, K.C.B., President, in the chair.—A. D. Waller: The various inclinations of the electrical axis of the human heart. This paper is in substance the direct continuation of a communication made to the society in 1889 (Phil. Trans., p. 169), in which it was shown (i) that the electrical effects accompanying the beat of the human heart can be demonstrated and studied by “leading off” from the mouth and from the extremities; and (2) that in consequence of the oblique situation of the heart in the thorax these “leads” are to be classified as favourable and unfavourable or strong and weak. Of the six possible leads from the four extremities, three are strong (transverse, axial, right lateral) and three are weak (inferior, equatorial, left lateral). Of the four possible leads from the mouth and one extremity, one is weak (right superior) and three are strong (left superior, right and left inferior). The electrical equator is an imaginary line of zero potential across the chest from left shoulder to right side. The electrical current axis is from right shoulder to left side, at right angles to the equator.—Surgeon-General Sir D. Bruce, Majors D. Harvey and A. E. Hamerton, and Lady Bruce: Trypanosome diseases of domestic animals in Nyasaland. III., Trypanosoma pecorum.—T. Goodey: The Encystation of Colpoda cucullus from its resting cysts and the nature and properties of the cyst membranes. The ectocyst ruptures and sets free the transparent endocyst. Both ectocyst and endocyst are composed of carbohydrate substances and are resistant to acids, weak alkalies, and many other reagents; failing to give any reaction with iodine in potassium iodide solution. The endocyst is composed of a new carbohydrate for which the name Cystose is proposed. During encystation the endocyst wall is digested by a powerful enzyme secreted by the enclosed organism, and by this means the latter is enabled to escape. The name Cystase is proposed for this enzyme.—C. Shearer, W. De Morgan, and H. M. Fuchs: The experimental hybridisation of Echinoids.