The hepatic anaphylatoxin. Final evidence of its rôle in canine anaphylaxis.

Abstract

In previous papers, 1 , 2 it was shown that typical anaphylactic contractions of certain smooth muscle structures do not take place on intravenous injection of specific foreign protein into dehepatized anaphylactic dogs. The conclusion was drawn that the characteristic smooth muscle contractions in intact dogs are due to chemical products (hepatic anaphylatoxins), explosively formed or liberated by the anaphylactic liver. We have obtained additional evidence in support of this conclusion by cross-circulation, hepatic transplantation and blood transfusion tests.

As a preliminary to these tests it was shown that primary reactions between specific foreign protein (horse serum) and anaphylactic blood are in themselves insufficient to produce recognizable anaphylactic reactions in normal canine tissues. If a normal dog is exsanguinated as completely as possible and transfused from an anaphylactic donor, the normal dog will show no recognizable anaphylactic phenomena on immediate intravenous injection with specific foreign protein. This finding is in line with the well-known latent period in passive anaphylaxis.

If the isolated hind-quarters of a normal dog are connected by means of paraffined rubber tubes with the general circulation of an anaphylactic dog, typical anaphylactic contractions of the normal urinary bladder and of the normal rectum occur on intravenous injection with specific foreign protein. If the isolated liver of an anaphylactic dog is connected with the general circulation of a normal dog, the normal dog will show a typical anaphylactic fall in arterial blood pressure, typical contractions of the urinary bladder and of the gastro-intestinal tract, and a typical loss of blood coagulability, on intravenous injection with specific foreign protein. We believe these experiments furnish conclusive evidence of the existence of toxic hepatic products in the general circulation, at least during the initial stage of canine anaphylactic shock.