OXYGEN RELATIONS IN AUTOLYSIS 



MAX MORSE 

 (Biochemical Laboratory, University of Nebraska College of Medicine, Omaha) 



(Received for publication, November 9, 1915). 



The assumption has long been held^ tliat autolysis is more or less 

 intimately associated with oxidation. This association is suggested, 

 in the first place, by the fact shown by Jacoby,^ that liver lobes whose 

 blood supply is interrupted, undergo autolysis. I have determined, 

 in similar manner, that muscle, isolated f rom its nerve center, auto- 

 lyzes^ in situ. In the second place, the appearance of products of 

 incomplete combustion, such as lactic acid,^ suggests that oxygen 

 may play a röle in autolysis. Indeed, that oxygen supplied in Op- 

 timum amounts may be the factor which inhibits the action of 

 autolyzing enzyme in the normal condition of the tissue, is not an 

 improbable hypothesis. It is the hypothesis which the present set 

 of experiments was designed to meet, pro or con. 



In the beginning it may be stated that, so far as these experi- 

 ments in vitro were capable of throwing light, any relation of 

 oxygen to autolysis could not be demonstrated. It is quite possible 

 that such experiments in vitro do not represent the processes going 

 on in a normally functioning tissue; but, until methods are available 

 for more definitely following the metabolism of tissue in vivo, 

 such attempts to study the role of the several factors involved in the 

 present investigation must be our reliance. 



The method of preparation of the digests was the same as that 



1 Hoppe-Seyler : Tübingen med.-chem. Untersuchungen, 1871, iv, p. 499. 



2 Jacoby : Ueber die f ermentative Eiweissspaltung und Ammoniakbildung in 

 der Leber; Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem., 1900, xxx, p. 170. 



3 Morse: Autolysis and Involution; Amer. Jour. of Physiol, 1915, xxxvi, 

 p. 147. 



^Magnus-Levy: Ueber die Säurebildung bei der Autolyse der Leber; Beitr. 

 z. chem. Physiol. u. Path., 1902, ii, p. 261. 



143 



