474 ENZYMES 



ANTI-ENZYMES. 



The term anti-enzyme is applied to a class of substances 

 occurring in the animal organism or produced in it by sub- 

 cutaneous injection with an enzyme. The anti-enzymes are 

 antagonistic in their action upon the enzymes, and their action 

 is quite specific, the relationship between an enzyme and its 

 anti-body being similar to that existing between a toxin and 

 an anti-toxin. The first example of immunity against an 

 enzyme was recorded by Hildebrandt,* the enzyme being 

 emulsin. 



Since then, anti-enzymes have been discovered for lipase, 

 amylase, pepsin, papain, and urease. Anti-trypsin and anti- 

 rennet occur normally in the blood, and, according to Wein- 

 land,t anti-pepsin and anti-trypsin occur in the mucous 

 membranes of the stomach and intestine respectively. 



A CONSIDERATION OF SELECTED ENZYMES. 



LIPASE. 



Lipase is widely distributed in the plant world and may be 

 expected to occur where fats are of significance as a reserve 

 food. It also has been described as occurring in many moulds 

 such as Aspergillus, Eurotium, etc., in agarics, and in the latex 

 of higher plants such as Ficus and Euphorbia. 



In 1890 Green J found that germinating seeds contaming 

 fat or oil, when macerated with water and left for some time, 

 gradually acquired an acid reaction. This observation was 

 subsequently confirmed and extended by Connstein, Hoyer, 

 and Wartenberg,§ with the result that it has been found that 

 the seeds of Euphorbiaceae, and especially castor-oil seeds, 

 whether germinating or not, contain an enzyme capable of 

 hydrolysing fats. Lipase may occur in the seed, as in the 

 castor oil, or it may develop during germination, as in linseed. 



* Hildebrandt : " Virch. Arch.," 1893, 131, 12, 26. 



t Weinland : " Zeit. f. Biol.," 1903, 44, 45. 



X Green : " Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond.," 1890, 48, 375. 



§ Connstein, Hoyer, and Wartenberg : " Ber. deut. chem. Gesells.," 

 1902, 35, 3988 ; Hoyer : id., 1904, 37, 1441 ; " Zeit. Physiol. Chem.," 

 1907. 50> 414- 



