THE INFLUENCE OF BILE AND BILE SALTS ON 

 PANCREATIC PROTEOLYSIS.* 



BY B. H. CHITTENDEN AND ALICE ^H. ALBRO. 



THE natural commingling of bile and pancreatic juice in the 

 duodenum is strongly suggestive of harmony of action, and 

 it might reasonably be assumed that in pancreatic proteolysis 

 the presence of bile would be in no wise inimical. Indeed, 

 such few observations as have been recorded tend to show, as 

 a rule, that the proteolytic action of the pancreatic enzyme is 

 not materially impeded by the presence of bile or its consti- 

 tuent salts. Thus, many years ago Heidenhain f observed 

 that when an aqueous solution of dried pig's bile was added to 

 a glycerin extract of the pancreas, the proteolytic power of 

 the latter was not diminished, but apparently increased. A 

 similar stimulating effect was observed on addition of a 1 per 

 cent solution of sodium glycocholate to the enzyme-containing 

 solution. The few experiments then made were purely quali- 

 tative ones, proteolytic power being determined simply by 

 noting the rate at which flocks of fibrin were dissolved. 

 The results, however, were sufficiently convincing to lead 

 Heidenhain to the conclusion that " the salts dissolved in the 

 bile have an influence similar to that of sodium chloride." 

 Some years later Lindberger J found that the well known 

 inhibitory action of organic acids upon trypsin proteolysis may 

 be overcome, to some extent at least, by the presence of bile 

 salts. Thus he observed that the presence of 1-2 per cent 

 of bile with some sodium chloride would enable a trypsin 

 solution containing 0.02 per cent of lactic acid to digest fibrin 

 as rapidly as a neutral solution of the enzyme ; indeed, as 



* Reprinted from the American Journal of Physiology, vol. i. 

 t Heidenhain, Archiv fur die ges. Physiol., 1875, x, p. 679. 

 t Lindberger, Jahresbericht fur Thierchemie, 1883, p. 282. 



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