CHEMISTRY OF THE SUPRARENAL GLANDS 93 



statement of the English chemist, Jowett, that epinephrin and adrenalin 

 were names for the same compound, they later adopted the name adrenin, 

 presumably because Abel had used the term epinephrin for his inactive 

 base as well as for the base of his active salts. The Germans have ad- 

 hered to the trade name suprarenin, no doubt owing to the strong influ- 

 ence of the German commercial firms and their different attitude toward 

 proprietary names. 



Distribution of Epinephrin 



Epinephrin has attracted much attention. Above certain concentra- 

 tions it has been found to exert a marked pressor activity, but there is 

 some question where normally such concentrations occur in the body and 

 whether this compound under ordinary conditions is used by nature for 

 functional purposes and whether it is not merely a stepping stone in the 

 synthesis or degradation of other compounds. At present, we have no 

 right to speak of epinephrin as the active principle of the suprarenal 

 glands, but should call it an active principle, because in the suprarenal 

 glands it occurs only in the medulla and the medulla may be destroyed 

 without causing death, while destruction of the cortex is fatal and we 

 have no proof that epinephrin is directly or indirectly formed by the 

 cortex (Stewart and Rogoff ; Wheeler and Vincent). 



As pyrocatechol and its derivatives easily oxidize into dark colored 

 bodies and as epinephrin also yields such products it has been suggested 

 that the latter is the source of the black pigment in certain melanotic 

 tumors, but epinephrin itself has not been found in such tumors (Neuberg, 

 Jaeger, Bittorf, Adler). However, extracts of some contain a substance, 

 designated a ferment, which decomposes epinephrin into a black pigment 

 (Meirowsky). 



Para-hydroxy-phenyl-ethyl-amin, a decarboxylation product of the ami- 

 no-acid tyrosin, has a chemical structure somewhat like epinephrin and ex- 

 erts a physiological action much Kke it. This action Barger and Dale 

 name sympathomimetic (Dale and Dixon). It was suggested that the 

 amino-acid tyrosin was the mother substance of epinephrin (Halles, Ges- 

 sard). However, Ewins and Laidlaw show there is no real evidence for 

 the view that it is formed in the body from tyrosin or other closely related 

 bases. An amino acid, 3 :4-dihydroxy-phenyl-alanin (OH) 2 C G H 3 CH 2 - 

 CH.NH 2 .COOH), which has a structure related to epinephrin, has been 

 found in Vicia faba, but this, like other amino-acids, is pharmacologically 

 indifferent (Guggenheim, Funk). 



It has been suggested, not proved, that epinephrin might be derived 

 from the amino-acid tryptophan (Abelous, Soulie and Toujan), while 

 Friedmann thought it might be derived from di-hydroxy-phenyl-methyl- 

 serin or di-hydroxy-phenyl-serin (Rosenmund and Dornsaft; Knoop). 



