Evening star., 1936-12-18

be intimately concerned with func-
tions of growth and the oxidation
and reduction reactions of the body
1t is known chemically as a tripeptide,
a combination in q specific pattern OF
three of the amino acids-the simpler
substances into which proteins of the
food are split by the processes Of di-
gestion so that they can be carried
| in the blood stream and actually
utilized by the cells of the body.
Contains Sulphur.
One Of these is cystcine, a complex
amino acid whose molecule contains
one atom of sulphur, and which is
the chief sulphur carrier to the
| body cells. Sulphur is chiefly con-
! centrated in the toe and finger nails
and the hair of human beings. In
case of necessity it could be syn
thesized, but it Is much cheaper to
extract 1t from human hair. Sheep
wool might be used, but Is not so good
a source.
A second is glutamic acid, the best
source of which is the sooy sauce
used for the flavoring of chop suey,
and which originally Is extracted from
the gluten of wheat.
The third is glycine, synthesiZed
form of which Is on the market. and
which has had a considerable medi-
cal use in the treatment of various
muscular disorders.
The great difficulty in the syn
thesis of glutathione has been to get
these three amino acid molecules to
stick together in the right way,
especially so that they will keep the
sulphur atom in the right place.
The success of the SyntheSiS
achieved at the George Washington
laboratory rests upon principles de-
! veloped from several years Of work
with sulphur compounds in liquid
ammonia, where the reactions with
many of these compounds occur
smoothly. which can also take place
on large scale.
The George Washington chemists
have made possible a plentiful source
of supply Of glutathione for whatever
medical use it may prove to have,
which still is problematical, however
sensational some Of the recent dis
closures.
In the first place an organism de-
prived of sulphur in certain form
available to the body cells stops grow
ing-or in any event its growth
rate is slowed down alarmingly. Cyst
cine or some other sulphur carrying
substance seems to be essential fol-
the formation of new tissues and
probably serves as the activator OF
some engines in the cells.
Glutathione appears to be one OF
the principal compounds in which
cyStcine is carried. 1t has been shown
experimentally that rats deprived OF
all sulphur elements in the diet suffer
a great deceleration in growth, but
that this is made up almost immedi-
ately with the administration of glu-
tathione in appropriate amounts
either by feeding or injection.
Sulphur Is also of extreme i'm
| POl IollSC W many hCIOAlANotlOll AC-
actions of the body. DR.. NJ X. Sui.
livan of Georgetown University
Chemo- Medical Research Institute
has shown that the cystine content
of the finger nails decreases in many
infections when the demand for sui.
phur is increased for detoxifying pur-
poses. Investigations also are being
conducted at Mount Alto Hospital BY
DR.. E. F. Woldenberg.
Hint Relation to Cancer.
Now that which causes normal eel
growth might be expected to play q
part in abnormal cell growth-that is
! in the rapid, wild, anarchistic cell
proliferation of cancers Perhaps, il
was reasoned. a glutathione disbal-
ance might be one Of the chief fac
tors in such malignant neoplasms
Experiments reported last week by
DR.. Carl Voegtlin, chief pharmacolo-
gist of the Public Health Service. give
substantial basis for this belief
Mice deprived of sulphur in theil
diet not only stopped growing, but
the malignant tumors from which
| they were suffering also stopped
growing and in some cases disap-
peared Growth of both normal anc
malignant tissue could be started
/ I