Gold-Precipitation by Heparin of a Protein in Rabbit and Human Plasma

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Abstract
Summary 1. Cold-precipitation of a mass of gelatinous protein material is produced by heparin in plasma obtained from rabbits between one and 6 hours after an injection of endotoxin derived from gram negative bacteria. The precipitate is redissolved on warming the plasma. It is demonstrable within 15-30 minutes after chilling heparinized plasma, or citrated plasma to which heparin has been added. 2. The heparin-precipitable protein is not demonstrable in serum. Its possible relationship to fibrinogen is indicated by similar migration in paper electrophoresis, and by the fact that it is partially clottable by thrombin. 3. The material disappears from the blood within 10 minutes after an intravenous injection of Liquoid (Na polyanethol sulfonate), an acidic polymer known to be capable of precipitating fibrinogen. 4. A heparin-precipitable protein of similar appearance is present in normal human plasma, and is much increased in the plasma of patients with acute rheumatic disease. In one patient with rheumatic fever, the amount of precipitate diminished during salicylate and cortisone therapy.