Studies on So-called Protective Ferments. 



21 



the intra cellular ferments are set free. 1 These ferments possibly 

 with the collaboration of the ferments thrown out from the sur- 

 rounding fixed cells as well as from blood serum and leucocytes 

 proceed to dispose of the dead material. Some of these split prod- 

 ucts of protein constituents of digested tissue cells, together with 

 some non-protein constituents (lipoids?) of these cells, exert antag- 

 onistic antitryptic action, and retard or stop the activity of 

 proteolytic ferments. 



Since, as it was suggested before by us, 2 the specific ana- 

 phylactic shock is due to the intoxication of the animal following 

 the liberation of proteolytic enzyme in its blood, it is possible that 

 the preliminary injection of a suitable amount of poison causes 

 the increase of the amount of protein split products in the 

 circulation of the animal and the resulting change in the degree 

 of colloidal dispersion paralyzes the activity of proteolytic fer- 

 ments which are liberated upon the subsequent introduction 

 of a lethal dose of antigen into a sensitized animal. 



The effect of the vaccinating injection of a sublethal dose of 

 antigen into sensitized animals, or of the vaccinating injection of 

 a sublethal dose of anaphylatoxin into normal animals, is evi- 

 dently due to the same mechanism of partial proteolysis followed 

 by the output of split products acting as antitrypsin and not to 

 the exhaustion of antibody. 



Usually the anaphylactic state is taken to be the opposite to 

 the state of immunity. The above theory makes both the active 

 immunity and anaphylaxis a part of the same process. The 

 difference between the two reactions being only in the rapidity 

 and extent of proteolysis induced by the specific combination of 

 antigen with its antibody in vivo. 



1 In the experiments which are to follow we will show the actual changes in the 

 blood and urine following the liberation of ferments during the specific anaphylactic 

 shock, as well as during nonspecific proteolysis due to poisoning. 



• Bronfenbrenner, Bioch. Bull., March, 1915, p. 87. 



