Crystalline Papain.

The Removal of Cartilage Matrix, in Vivo, by Papain

The intravenous injection of crystalline papain into young rabbits results in depletion of cartilage matrix throughout the body, with loss of rigidity and collapse of the ears, provided the enzyme is inactivated by oxidation or sulfhydryl blocking agents prior to administration. Cysteine-activated crystalline papain, when injected intravenously, produces little or no change in cartilage. The ch...

The hydrolysis of rabbit y-globulin and antibodies with crystalline papain.

Reversible Collapse of Rabbit Ears after Intravenous Papain, and Prevention of Recovery by Cortisone

A substance has been demonstrated in solutions of crude papain, which, when injected intravenously into 1 kilo rabbits, in amounts less than 5 mg., results in complete collapse of both ears. The phenomenon becomes visible 4 hours after injection, and is complete within 24 hours. 3 or 4 days after papain, the ears gradually reassume their normal form. Ear collapse is associated with depletion of...

Studies on the active--SH group of papain and on the mechanism of papain activation by thiols.

It is now generally agreed that papain possesses a single reactive sulfhydryl group which is essential for activity and which probably participates in the catalytic mechanism by forming acyl intermediates with the different substrates (2, 3). Smith (4) has claimed that the essential sulfhydryl group of papain is kinetically more active than most protein sulfhydryl groups and that it possesses d...

A two-step procedure for purification of papain from extract of papaya latex.

A method is presented for purifying papain from extracts of papaya latex. The procedure involves precipitation of the extract of papaya latex with sodium chloride followed by affinity chromatography of the redissolved precipitate. Precipitation of the protein from the latex extract is necessary to separate the papain from material which interferes with the binding of papain to the affinity colu...

Papain induced changes in cartilage.

I n tr o d u c tio n T E cfi'ccls o f the systemic adminis­ tration o f crude papain to young rabbits were first described by Thomas (1956), who noted that the most obvious change was a bilateral collapse o f the ears. This effect was lost within a few days. Subsequently llu lth and Westerborn (1959) and Merkow and Lalieh (1961), who iLsecl crude papain in single and repeated (loses, and in dif...