Toxohormone in Uterine Tumors

Abstract

Extracts from uterine carcinoma, uterine fibroma and normal myometrium were prepared as ether precipitates by the method of Yunoki and Griffin and indicated as « crude » toxohormone. These extracts, when injected into normal rats, resulted in a decreased concentration of plasma iron; the greatest effect was found in animals receiving the carcinoma extract: 0.1 mg of this preparation caused the same reduction as 5 mg of the two other preparations. The « crude » toxohormone, obtained from the uterine carcinomas, produced also a marked depression of blood hemoglobin and liver catalase, and altered significantly the dry weight of the adrenals, spleen and thymus; the same preparation from fibromas and normal tissues was ineffective. Chromatographic fractionation of « crude » toxohormone from uterine carcinoma yielded a lipopeptide indicated as « pure » toxohormone, which produced a marked decrease in plasma iron at 5 μg dose level. The liver catalase activity was depressed significantly at the dose of 20 μg. The same procedure applied to the extract of fibroma yielded only little amount of material, which was ineffective at 20 and 50 μ dose level. The lipopeptide obtained from uterine carcinoma had essentially the same composition as the lipopeptide obtained by Yunoki and Griffin from other human malignant tissues.