The presence of ergot and physiological activity of beta-imidazolylethylamine : (preliminary communication) / by G. Barger and H.H. Dale.

  • George Barger
Date:
[1910?]
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The presence of ergot and physiological activity of beta-imidazolylethylamine : (preliminary communication) / by G. Barger and H.H. Dale. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    2 Applying Kutscher’s1 silver method to a specimen of ergotinum dialysatum we succeeded in isolating a few centigrammes of the picrate of an intensely active base, which produced the characteristic action on the cat’s non-pregnant uterus in minute doses. Its action, the details of which will be published later, further differs from that of the other active principles in that it causes a fall of systemic arterial pressure when injected intravenously. The manner in which the base was pre¬ cipitated by silver and by mercury suggested a relation to histidine, which was further made probable by the fact that the base gave Pauly’s colour-reaction with diazobenzenesulphonic acid. Pure histidine was found to be inactive, but acquired the characteristic activity on putrefaction. It therefore seemed probable that the base was /3-imid- azolylethylamine, produced from histidine by splitting off carbon dioxide. We have been able to confirm this identification through the kindness of Dr D. Ackermann, who forwarded to us a specimen of the di-picrate of /3-imidazolylethylamine, which he recently obtained by the putrefaction of histidine2. This was found to be in all respects identical with the picrate obtained by us from the ergot extract. Note. Since the above was forwarded for publication a paper by Kutscher (Centralbl. f Physiol, xxiv. p. 163) has come to our notice. Kutscher describes the isolation from ergot of the picrolonate of a base which was intensely toxic, and which chemically had the characteristics of /3-imidazolylethylamine. He found, however, that the latter substance, as prepared by Ackermann, had a different physiological action. Without expressing any opinion as tro the identity of the base obtained by Kutscher, we think it desirable to state that the base obtained by us from ergot agreed with that kindly furnished by Dr Ackermann, not only in chemical characters, but in all points of physiological action with regard to which we compared them. 1 Zeitschr. Nahr. Genussm. x. p. 528, 1905. 2 Zeitschr. f. Physiol. Chein. lxv. p. 504, 1910.