TOXOHORMONE IN BACTERIA-FREE TUMORS

Abstract

Toxohormone was extracted from bacteria-free human tumors and normal tissues, and assayed for activity by measuring the decrease in serum iron levels of rats 12 hours after injection of the extracts. In contrast with the findings of others, the results of the present study demonstrated that active toxohormone could be isolated from bacteria-free tumor tissues. Bacteria-free normal human kidney and spleen also yielded active toxohormone extracts, whereas extracts of normal human- and rat-skeletal muscle and rat liver had no activity.Four active toxohormone extracts were purified by ion-exchange chromatography followed by gel filtration. Human leukemic spleen, metastatic carcinoma of the cecum, and normal human spleen and kidney yielded several highly active purified fractions.