Abstract
An unsaturated fatty acid present in horse brain and showing high hemolytic activity in vitro was obtained in the form of a highly active concentrate containing oleic acid as a contaminant. Chemical evidence indicates that it is cis-octadec-11-enoic acid (cis-heptadec-10-ene-l-carboxylic acid), an acid not hitherto found in nature. Synthetic cis-octadec-11-enoic acid appears to have all the properties of the natural hemolytic acid.
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