Action of Aldehydes on Histamine and on Active,Histamine-like Substances Produced by Gas-Bacillus.

Abstract

It was shown in a preceding paper 1 that the contraction induced by histamine, or the histamine-like substance produced by the gas bacillus, in a section of guinea pig intestine, or uterus suspended in Tyrode solution, could be relaxed immediately by the addition of 0.1 cc. neutral formalin solution. The most plausible explanation for this phenomenon is a definite chemical reaction between the amino group of the histamine molecule and the aldehyde according to the equation

R.CH₂ CH₂ NH₂ + H.CHO = R.CH₂ CH₂ N : CH₂ + H₂O

whereby the ethyl amine group is removed.

It follows that other aldehydes might react in a similar manner, if this explanation be correct.

A series of aldehydes have consequently been tested, using the technique described in the preceding contribution. 1 These comprised, besides formaldehyde, already mentioned, acetaldehyde and its polymer paraldehyde, aldol, glycol aldehyde, glyceric aldehyde and methyl glyoxal, the ketones, acetone and dihydroxyacetone, and acetophenone.

The ketones, and those aldehydes having an oxygen atom attached to the carbon atom next the aldehyde group were without obvious effect. This group included acetone and dihydroxyacetone and the following aldehydes : glycol aldehyde, glyceric aldehyde and methyl glyoxal.

Acetaldehyde, paraldehyde (which probbly depodymerizes in Tyrode solution) and aldol, which has the oxygen atom attached to the carbon atom twice removed from the aldehyde group, reduced the contractions promptly. FOP reasons that are not quite apparent, acetophenone was also very effective in this regard.

These observations are in accord with the hypothesis that certain aldehydes in addition to formaldehyde unite chemically with aromatic amines. They also suggest a pharmacological relationship between the proximity of oxygen upon adjacent carbon atoms and the physiological reactivity of certain aldehydes.

This is a preliminary report.