Abstract
An extensive literature has appeared which has confirmed the findings of Anselmino and Hoffmann 1 concerning the ether-soluble substances of the blood which have a pronounced antithyroidal effect and also are effective in animal experiments, as well as in the treatment of hyperthyroidism.
The present investigation was undertaken in order to determine the relationship of these ether-soluble substances of the blood to vitamin A. This question seemed important to us, since by animal experiments it had been previously demonstrated by one of us, 2 that vitamin A has a strong antithyroidal effect.
The comprehensive literature on the antithyroidal effect of vitamin A includes papers by Abelin, 3 von Euler and Klussmann, 4 Schneider, 5 Falta, 6 Fleischmann and Kann, 7 Wendt 8 and others. Because this literature has undoubtedly shown the antithyroidal effect of vitamin A, its relationship to the antithyroidal substances of the blood was questioned since both must be removed from the blood simultaneously during ether-extraction. We therefore assayed the antithyroidal extract for its vitamin-A content and determined whether the antithyroidal effect may be caused or increased by the presence of vitamin A.
Methods. Blood from normal individuals, with no thyroidal disturbance was extracted in the Soxhlet with ether for varying lengths of time. The extract was distilled under reduced pressure to remove the solvent and the residue was dissolved in Wesson oil. This solution was assayed spectroscopically for its vitamin-A content.∗ The antithyroidal effect of the extract was determined by the method of Fellinger and Hochstadt, 9 a modification of the Reid Hunt technic. 10 In this modification thyroxin, which increases the resistance of white mice to acetonitril-poisoning quite markedly, is bound by the antithyroidal substances. Thus, the mice, no longer protected, succumb to the acetonitril.
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