THE EFFECTS OF ANTIHISTAMINES ON URINARY COLI BACILLI WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO CHANGES IN HIGHER FATTY ACIDS

Abstract

Previously Nakaoka carried out experimental studies on the effects of antihistamines upon urinary coli bacilli. The experimental studies revealed that (1) a great quantity of antihistamines had a bactericidal effect upon coli bacilli, while a small quantity accelerated their growth, and that (2) when antihistamines were added to culture media, the number of bacteria living for 24 hours showed a significant increase, as composed with culture media containing no antihistamines. Animal experiments also confirmed that when the same amount of antihistamines were inoculated into the rabbit skin the former was much more virulent than the latter.
The fat metabolism of coli bacilli and especially the effects of antihistamines on higher fatty acids were experimentally studied, with interesting results, on the basis of the results of Nakaoka's experiments that the biological activity of urinary coli bacilli was increased by addition of a small quantity of antihistamines. This report is concerned with the results.
Experimental methods and materials
1) Strains
Use was made of the same strains that were utilized by Nakaoka; six strains of Escherichia coli I and 4 strains of Aerobacter aerogenes I. Ikeda strains of E. coli supplied by the bacteriologic department of this university served as controls.
2) Antihistamines
Two kinds of purely powdered antihistamines, restamin and allergin, were used.
3) Culture media
Agar and 1% dextrose agar culture media containing 10γ/cc of each of the antihistamines were used.
4) Culture
Using Roux's flasks, the media under (3) were inoculated with the strains under (1). After 48-hour cultivation at 37°C, the bodies of bacteria were collected and washed with distilled water three times. One gram of the individual sediments was used as specimens for detection of fatty acids.
5) The effects of antihistamines on the detection of free fatty acids in the bodies of bacteria.
The following experiments were done using 2 strains of E. coli I and A. aerogenes I respectively and E. coli, Ikeda strain (control). Antihistamines were inoculated into each of agar and 1% dextrose agar culture media and the bodies of bacteria were collected after cultivation at 37°C for 24 hours. The bodies of bacteria were divided into two parts. One part was untreated, while the other was autoclaved. Each of the living and dead bacteria was suspended in 10γ/cc of the respective antihistamines and incubated at 37°C for 24 hours. The suspensions were centrifuged and the resultant sediments were washed with water three times and were used as specimens for detecting free fatty acids.
6) Preliminary experiments
Attempts, to detect fatty acids were undertaken using two kinds of antihistamine and six culture media which are considered to be involved in the detection of fatty acids in the present experiments.
7) Detection of higher fatty acids
This was done by means of Fujii's paper chromatography.
8) Rf values of standard fatty acids
The Rf values of standard fatty acids were mean values determined from paper chromatograms developed three times. The fatty acids used consisted of 21 saturated fatty acids, including stearic acid, and 11 unsaturated fatty acids, inclusive of oleic acid.
9) Measurement of Rf values
Fatty acids in the respective specimens were identified by comparing their Rf values with the Rf values of the standard fatty acids.
Experimental results
1) More ester fatty acids were detected in 1% dextrose agar culture medium than in agar culture medium. They were overwhelmingly more numerous in A. aerogenes than in E. coli.
2) When antihistamines were added to agar and 1% dextrose agar culture media, ester fatty acids showed a greater increase than when they were not added.
3) A great many free fatty acids were detected when antihistamines were added to 1% dextrosee agar culture medium. On the contrary, none of the free fatty acids were dete