On Digestive Proteolysis: Being the Cartwright Lectures for 1894Chittenden, R. H. (Russell Henry)
Science
On Digestive Proteolysis: Being the Cartwright Lectures for 1894
Chittenden, R. H. (Russell Henry)
Digestion; Digestive enzymes; Enzymes
They merely emphasize the
fact that the withdrawal of a certain quantity of hemipeptone from
the digestive mixture tends to reduce by so much the yield of leucin
and tyrosin. It is hardly to be assumed, however, that the rate of
withdrawal of peptone from the intestine can keep pace with its
formation, especially when it is remembered that the proteid matter
coming into the small intestine, owing to its preliminary treatment
in the stomach, is in a comparatively digestible condition. Further,
the pancreatic juice is a remarkably active fluid, and proteolysis
under its influence must make rapid strides. I can easily conceive
that proteolysis by trypsin, when carried on in a flask, may lead to
the formation of much larger amounts of leucin and tyrosin, and of
other bodies as well, than occurs in the natural process; but there is
certainly no ground for the belief that leucin and tyrosin are wholly
wanting in pancreatic proteolysis as it occurs in the intestine.
With a view to obtaining some positive evidence on this point I have
tried a few experiments on animals, the results of which have convinced
me that, in the case of dogs, at least, both leucin and tyrosin may
be formed in natural pancreatic digestion in considerable quantities.
Thus, in one experiment a good sized dog, kept without food for two
days, was fed four hundred grammes of chopped lean beef at 8 A.M.
At 2 P.M. the animal was killed and the intestine ligatured close
to the pylorus. The lower end of the small intestine was likewise
ligatured. The portion inclosed between the two ligatures was then
removed from the body, and the contents of the intestine pressed and
rinsed out with distilled water. In the stomach, was found a small
amount of semi-digested matter weighing about fifty grammes. The
material obtained from the intestine was strained through mull, the
fluid rendered faintly acid with acetic acid, and heated to boiling.
The clear filtrate from this precipitate was concentrated to a very
small volume, and while still hot precipitated with a large amount of
ninety-five per cent. alcohol. A small gummy precipitate resulted,
which was thoroughly extracted with boiling alcohol and the washings
added to the alcoholic filtrate. The precipitate contained some
deuteroproteose and a small amount of true peptone.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account