ANTI-ENZYMES 73 



easily destroyed, by heat of about 70, by the action of dilute 

 acids, and even by prolonged standing. It is exerted not only 

 against the secreted proteolytic enzymes, pepsin and trypsiu, 

 but also against the intracellular enzymes of various organs. 



It seems highly probable that the resistance of the body tis- 

 sues to digestion by their own enzymes and by the enzymes of 

 one another depends in some way upon the presence of anti- 

 enzymes in the cells and tissue fluids. Weinland [ has demon- 

 strated that certain intestinal worms contain a strong antitryp- 

 sin, to which he attributes their ability to live bathed in pancre- 

 atic juice without being digested. Similar properties have been 

 ascribed by other observers to the cells of the mucosa of the 

 stomach 2 and intestine. An anti-catalase has been described as 

 present in the tissues of the body by Battelli and Stern. 3 The 

 anti-enzymes seem only to inhibit enzyme action, and not to 

 destroy the enzyme itself. 4 Normal anti-enzymes do not seem 

 to be at all specific, according to v. Eisler, 5 that is, human serum 

 is no more resistant to human trypsin than is pig serum indeed, 

 it is less so. 6 



Cathcart 7 believes that antitrypsin is connected with the 

 " albumin fraction" of the serum, i. e., the fraction precipitated 

 between half and full saturation with ammonium sulphate. 

 Globulins do not possess this action, but they are not easily 

 digested. He found antitrypsin in all varieties of serum, and 

 considers it little or not at all specific. It is destroyed 

 by 55 C. 8 for one-half hour, but retains its anti-enzymatic 

 activity after drying. The isolated body is equally effective 

 against all sorts of proteids. Glaessner 9 claims that the anti- 

 trypsin is united to the euglobulin fraction of the blood-serum, 

 and that it is most abundant during periods of digestion. Fuld 

 and Spiro 10 found that the natural antirennin of normal horse 



1 Zeit. f. Biol., 1903 (44), 45 ; see also Dastre and Stassano, Compt. Rend. 

 Soc. Biol., 1903 (55), 130 and 254 ; and Hamill, Jour, of Physiol., 1906 (33), 



2 See Blum and Fuld, Zeit. klin. Med., 1906 (58), 505. 



3 Jour. Phys. et Path, gen, 1905 (7), 919. 



4 According to Delezenne and others, antitrypsin exerts its effects chiefly by 

 combining with the kinase that activates trypsinogen, rather than with the tryp- 

 sin. Bayliss and Starling (Jour, of Physiol., 1905 (32), 129) oppose the view 

 of Delezenne that the antitryptic action of the blood is due to an antikinase, 

 and believe the antibody acts upon trypsin. 



5 Ber. d. Wien. Akad., 1905 (104), ]19. 



6 This is contradicted by Glaessner (loc. cit.). 



7 Jour, of Physiol., 1904 (31), 497. 



8 Unless otherwise specified, all temperatures are given according to the 

 Centigrade scale. 



9 Hofmeister's Beitriige, 1903 (4), 79. 



10 Zeit. f. physiol. Chern., 1900 (31), 132. 



