Stimulatory effect of chelating agents and mesoxalate on the in vivo release of insulin in the pancreas of the dog. The possible role of amino acids

Plasma ILA has been assayed in the blood of the pancreatic vein in dogs by measuring the fall in blood glucose level in hypophysectomized-adrenodemedullated rats. The infusion of EDTA, L-histidine, glycine and L-leucine into the pancreatic artery increased the ILA in the pancreatic effluent, the increase being most pronounced fifteen to thirty minutes after the cessation of a ten-minute infusion. No increase in the ILA was observed in the pancreatic vein draining the nonperfused pancreatic area. Mesoxalate stimulated the release of insulin, but its effect was not characteristic of the chelating agents with respect to time course of action. Vagotomy abolished the effect of both chelating agents and mesoxalate. These findings indicate the in vivo stimulation of the release of biologically active insulin by chelating agents and mesoxalate.

Experimental Study of the Sensitized Cholera Antigen

Knowing that ordinary heated vaccine has no complete prophylactic action upon experimental typhoid fever, Besredka (1), in 1902, first used the so-called sensitized vaccine, which was made by combining the living typhoid bacilli with the useful constituents of immune serum. Later he investigated with Metchnikoff (2) its prophylactic value against experimental typhoid fever, and they found it effective and not dangerous to the human body. In 1914 Ichikawa, in Japan, experimented with the non-heated sero-vaccine upon typhoid fever patients with good results. In 1916, when the outbreak of cholera was at its height in Japan, the cholera sensitized vaccine was prepared by Shiga and his associates (3) and favorable results were obtained. Later Yabe published an article on cholera vaccine, its weak reaction and rapid development of antibodies, as compared with the ordinary vaccine.

We regret, however, that the sensitized vaccine in solution is not stable, and thus it cannot be kept for a long time in soluble form.