Increased Potency of Liver Extract by Incubation with Human Gastric Juice. ∗

Abstract

Following the work of Castle and his associates, 1 Reimann 2 reported a marked increase in the potency of liver by its digestion in normal human gastric juice. Walden and Clowes, 3 independent of Reimann, obtained a very active preparation by the incubation of liver and liver extracts with small amounts of hog gastric tissues. However, Barnett and Thebaut 4 were apparently unable to increase the activity of liver by its digestion with normal human gastric juice.

The purpose of this paper is to report the results obtained by this laboratory when patients with pernicious anemia in relapse were fed daily a subminimal dose of liver extract No. 343 (that derived from 100 gm. of liver) which had previously been incubated at 40°C. for 4 hours with 100 cc. of normal human gastric juice obtained after histamine stimulation. During the control and test periods the diets of the patients contained no meat or eggs. The noon meal was given at 11:30 A. M. and the evening meal at 6:30 P. M. At 4:30 P. M. the material to be tested (after being brought to pH 5 by the addition of sodium hydroxide) was administered by mouth to the patients.

Case I received daily during the 10 day control period the amount of liver extract No. 343 derived from 100 gm. of whole liver. No response in the blood or improvement in the clinical condition of the patient resulted. This confirmed the findings of Zerfas 5 that this amount of liver extract No. 343 is insufficient to cause a reticulocyte response when fed by mouth to patients with pernicious anemia in relapse. During the following 10 day period the patient received daily the same amount of liver extract incubated with gastric juice as described above.