Mechanism of mast-cell disruption induced by a principle extracted from Ascaris suis

¹ Department of Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm; and Research Department, AB Leo, Hälsingborg, Sweden

A mast-cell disrupting factor was obtained from Ascaris suis. The ground material was extracted with 50% ethyl alcohol, concentrated in vacuo, washed with ether, dialyzed and kept in 50% alcohol. Further purification could be obtained on Amberlite IRC-50 column or charcoal. The influence of pH, temperature, ionic milieu and enzyme inhibitors on the disrupting action of the Ascaris factor on rat mesentery mast cells in vitro suggested that the cell disruption involves the activation of an enzymatic process localized to the mast cell. The possibility that the activation of a phospholipase triggers an energy requiring disruption process is discussed. The mechanism seems to be the same as for mast-cell disruption due to polymer amines (such as compound 48/80) and antigens.