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The Antigenic Properties of Pollen Fractions

From the Connaught Laboratories, University of Toronto the D. S. C. R. Chest Clinic, Toronto and the Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto

Abstract

1. Chemical methods have been given for the preparation from pollen of fractions which were dried and labelled as alcohol extract, albumin-proteose, proteose and glutenin.

2. The percentage of total nitrogen was determined for these different fractions of ragweed and birch pollen.

3. Both by means of death from anaphylactic shock and the uterine method of Dale it has been shown possible to sensitize guinea pigs with great ease and regularity to the albuminproteose, and proteose fractions of ragweed, timothy and birch pollen.

4. The demonstration that glutenin or the alcohol extract can cause anaphylaxis is less complete owing to the less solvent character of these fractions. By means of the Dale technic marked sensitization was demonstrated with glutenin; the proof of sensitization with the alcohol extract being much less convincing.

5. The demonstration of passive anaphylaxis from guinea pigs sensitized with albumin-proteose or proteose fractions to normal guinea pigs is regarded as complete; from human hayfever cases to normal guinea pigs, a slight sensitization resulted in two instances.

6. Clinical tests by the scratch method demonstrated (a) that each case would show an individually selective specificity to the different fractions and (b) that positive results would occasionally be obtained when the use of whole pollen would give negative tests.

7. Treatment by means of solutions made from ragweed fractions with a somewhat selected group of patients gave very satisfactory results. Although complete protection was not obtained in all, it was felt that the results were better than would have been obtained had but a single solution been used. It was entirely satisfactory in that all cases protected in previous years experienced as good or better results on their multiple solutions.