Kinin Activity From Plant Extracts II. Partial Purification and Fractionation of Kinins in Apple Extract

Abstract

The extraction and partial purification of kinins from Pyrus malus cv. Granny Smith fruitlets are described. Tracing progress by means of a biological assay based on cell-division induction in tobacco pith, the kinins, extracted from fruitlets with aqueous ethanol, were partially purified by the following steps: (i) adsorption on a cation-exchange resin and displacement with ammonium hydroxide, (ii) adsorption on carbon and elution with pyridine -ethanol-ammonium hydroxide, and (iii) passage through a polyamide resin. When chromatographed on paper, the kinin activity in the purified extract was resolved into at least four zones, each having independent activity. The kinin of the most active zone was purified 900-fold.