A toxohormone from cancerous ascitic fluid; preliminary note.

(Received for publication, November 30, 1957) Cancerous ascitic fluids with primary seat in stomach were condensed together, precipitated with alcohol and boiled with changes of 80% ethanol. The solutions given were also condensed and precipitated with alcohol, and after taking up in water, electrodialyzed. The deposit occurring here was fractionally precipitated from water with alcohol and with ammonium sulfate in turn, separating the fraction precipitating by alcohol of 30-40% and at the (NH4)2SO4 concentration range from 1.3 to 1.4 M. The product, which was electrophoretically (a Tiselius apparatus) and ultracentrifugally (a Spinco ultracentrifuge Model-E) homogeneous (See Figs. 1 and 2), was remarkably biuret positive and slightly Molisch positive, and contained 13.5% N, 1.5% hexosamine and no ash. 5 mg. per caput of it, intraperitoneally injected, caused 40% decrease of liver catalase activity of mice, whereas it did not decrease the catalase activity of kidney and blood in vivo nor the liver catalase activity in vitro. It also induced more than 10% anemia, when intravenously injected into rabbits in a dose of 0.5 mg. per kg. body weight.