Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-11-05
Substance More Potent
Than ACTH Is Tested
Important Progress Reported
In Vitul Hormone Research
By Thomos R. Henry

They are so potent that one 65th
of grain a day, or about q 130, 000th
of an ounce, are considered q clinically
effective dose.
This has just been reported to the
ONCE Of Naval Research here by DR..
Paul L. Munson of the Harvard School
of Dental Medicine, who is carrying out
studies of this vital hormone under Navy
auspices
ACTH is pituitary gland secretion
which is used to stimulate the adrenal
gland so it will pour out cortisone into
the blood stream. Patients with such
conditions as rheumatoid arthritis can
be treated either directly with cortisone
itself or with ACTH obtained from the
pituitaries of animals which causes the
body to produce its own cortisone in
adequate amounts. Either method seems
about equally effective.
AS early as 1912 supposedly pure
ACTH was obtained in independent re-
searches by DR.. George Sayers Of Yale
and DR.. Choh Hao Ii at the University
of California. One worked with hog and
the other with sheep pituitaries. They
obtained absolutely identical substances.
Both were pure proteins, extremely COM
the building blocks of the body and none
OF which ever has been synthesized.
Within the next year this protein had
been broken down into simpler sub
stances some of which seemed to be
equally as potent as the original sub
stance. The conclusion was that actually
only small part of the real pituitary
secretion might play part in stimulat-
ing the adrenal to pour out cortisone.
90T of Hormone Recovered.
1t was about this time that DR.. Mum
son himself entered ACTH research at
the Armour laboratories in Chicago.
Later. at Yale, he aided In developing
methods where at least 80 per cent Of
the hormone in animal pituitary glands
could be recovered In useful form. Last
year, he points out. DR.. Ii and a group
OF British workers headed by DR.. C. j.
Q. r. Morris were able to obtain por-
lions OF the protein molecule which were
eight times as potent, in the same
amounts, as the original substance.
Later this potency was pushed up to
30-fold
But. DR.. Munson says in his report
to the Navy, the Armour research group
and DR.. Ashton Of Tufts Medical School
have announced that they have prepared
materials at least 100 times more DO
tent. These are peptides, portions of
proteinS
1t is not claimed, DR.. Munson saws.
that these highly active materials rep
resent the utmost in publication. The
isolation Of the pure ACTH peptide has
not been accomplished.
He now iS uorkip0 with =
group on further methods of fraction.
ization The isolation of the pure pep
tide. he holds, cannot be far distant.
X
There is some unknown secretion
which acts like wound hormone."
1t is produced by the tissues near a
wound and results in drawing to the
area certain body chemicals necessary
to build up proteins. the building blocks
OF the body. which are necessary to re-
pair the damage.
This is the indication from expert
ments conducted under an Office of
Naval Research contract by DR.. Martin
B. Williamson Of Loyola University, re-
suits of which have just been reported
to the Navy
1t long has been recognized, DR.. Will
Hanson reports. that a severe wound
causes the victim to lose weight. This
indicates that some material necessary
for the building Of normal body tissue
to replace that which constantly is
being lost has been reduced-probably
so that it can be used in one place
where the rebuilding operation is most
necessary.
Tested With Rats.
All the proteins are made I'D Of SIM
pier misunderstanding acids-of which
about Is are known. One or more of
them are contained in most foods. All
contain nitrogen. A few contain sulfur.
1t has long been the practice to feed
the sick or wounded with diets high
either in proteins themselves or the
nitrogen acids of which they are made.
This was tested with the rats. Repeated
experiments confirmed that consistently
faster healing could be achieved when
the animals were fed a high-proten
diet.
The simple explanation was that the
rebuilding was faster because there
was more material out of which to re-
build. But. the Navy researchers
thought, it might be too simple They
had supplied the rats with the vital
amino acids indiscriminately. It
seemed possible that one particular SUBJ
stance needed for mountaineering might
be insufficient in normal or low-pro-
tein diet.
This hypothesis was proved true. The
addition of one amino acid, found
chiefly in eggs, greatly speeded the
rate of healing. This substance is
known as methionine. It is one of the
acids containing sulfur
The same tests then were made, sub
shutting cysteine for methionine. The
latter sometimes breaks down into the
former in the process of metabolism.
Cysteine also contains sulfur. Results
were just as good.
The same effects were obtained with
other sulfur- containing amino acids.
Other tests showed that when an animal
is wounded the ulfur-containing sub
stances are conserved by the body so
as to be made available for the healing
process. Other tissue sacrificed its sui
fur for the afflicted part. How this
process works remains undetermined.