A Shock-Producing Factor Contained in Human Placental Protein Derivatives

Abstract

Testing purified human placental albumin obtained by conventional methods beyond the accepted safety requirements for normal human serum albumin revealed the presence of placental shock-producing factor (PSF), which is also found in placental whole extracts and in supernatants from heat-denaturated placental albumin. The PSF caused a sustained blood pressure drop in dogs and induced tachyphylaxia. On the guinea-pig''s ileum PSF potentiated the response of the testing system to "plasma-substrate" and traces of kallikrein. The characteristics of PSF and the mechanism of its action are discussed. As a preliminary consequence of the existence of PSF it is emphasized that the conventional testing pattern for normal human serum albumin is insufficient for safeguarding the innocuity of intravenous placental protein derivatives.