The Distribution of the Antihyaluronidase Factor in the Serum Protein Fractions of Patients Suffering From Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

In the course of the analysis of the pathological process of multiple sclerosis (MS) made at the Neurological and Mental Clinic Szeged (by, amongst others, onc of the authors) the non-specific hyaluronidasc inhibitor (NSI) was dealt with (Kbnyues- , Huszdk 1954, Dornonlcos 1954.It could be established that in the serum of these patients the NSI changes according to the activity of the disease. In the case of feverish loading reactions and the administration of ACTH, respectively, the NSI activity of the serum of the patients changes differently from that of normal individuals (KGnyves- Kolonics et al. 1958, Huszdk 1958.Owing to these differences the question arose whether in patients suffering from M S as compared with the normal state there is only a difference in the NSl activity, or whether the change is also qualitative, i.e. whether in these patients there is also a change in the composition of the NSI. To decide this question the following experiments were carried out:The examinations were performed with 16 Ms patients. The NSI activity was measured according to the viscosimetric method of H a m and expressed in terms of hyaluronidase destruction (D) per cent. (Haas 1946). The determination of the protein content was accomplished by means of the trichloracetic acid (TCA) turbidity method. The 0.25 mm serum fraction used for the determination of the NSI generally contained 150 microgram protein. The NSI activity ( D ) was related to this protein quantity. Usually the optimal NSI activity could he obtained with 40 microgram Mg sulphate (Domonkos 1954). Hence this amount of Mg sulphate was always used. 11'

Electrophoresis

“…Two statistical studies correlate characteristic serum protein patterns with diseases (291, 2155 1843), paragonimiasis (1972,1973), various hepatic disorders (1439,1515,1841), cirrhosis (786,2208,2256), cholecystitis (629, 1077), hepatitis (57,128,1123,1166, 1764, 2149), obstructive jaundice (278), Fasciola distomatosis (854), amebic liver disease (1955), gastric and duodenal ulcers (1107,1478,1940,1941,2457), chronic oral inflammation (1648, 2485), gastrointestinal surgery (1525), dysentery (2294,2394), bacterial dysentery and amebiasis (993), cholera (1707), secondary pellagra caused by enterocolitis or cancer (88), the toxicosis of pregnancy (67, 770, 1167, 1244, (1775), leprosy (269), dermatomyositis (2113), lichen myxedematosis (1455), psoriasis (299,1218,1273,1274), abnormalities of skin pigmentation (584,585,1882), schizophrenia (644, 725), drug therapy of the mentally ill (623, 827), encephalitis (1226, 1885), encephalomalacia (550), tuberculous meningitis (663,1881), multiple sclerosis (2205), poliomyelitis (…”

“…Esterases in human serum (2350), human liver (573), human organs (6), human cell cultures (1169), mammals (448, 611), rats (447, 600, 1874), mice (38,704,1771), duck serum (1065), and houseflies (84); human brain esterases and phosphatases in multiple sclerosis (132), human gastrointestinal esterases, phosphatases, and lactic dehydrogenase in normals and in sprue (2885), fungus esterases and phosphatases (1499); esterase electrophoresis discussed (972); demonstrating esterase inhibition by organic pesticides (1836); carboxylic esterases in cirrhosis (2017) and in horse, donkey, and mule (1066); cholinester-ases in man (1257) and in horses (1670,2173); arylesterases in man (2407), in mammals and man (91), move with prealbumin (2381); atropine esterase is a sialoprotein (1409); phosphatases in human lymph (1109), organs (290), and intestine (1558,1559), calf intestine (164) and rat embryo (1028); alkaline phosphatases in yeast (460) and in serum of sheep (1845), chickens (1071), and diseased humans (824,852,1015,1611,2205); acid phosphatase detection in prostatic fluid (2058), differentiation between seminal and vaginal (63), associated with liver mitochondria and lysosomes (37), and in Tetrahymena (39); insect inorganic pyrophosphatase (1256); creatine kinases (335,503,1892), pyruvate kinases (633,634), nucleases (209,359,1312,1593,2069), glucose-ATP phosphotransferase (1100), and phosphoglucomutase…”