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Pharmacology of Ruvettus Pretiosus, or "Castor-Oil Fish."

1931; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 28; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3181/00379727-28-5526

1535-3702

David I. Macht, J. Barba-Gose,

Plant-Derived Bioactive Compounds

Ruvettus pretiosus is a deep-sea fish inhabiting the Southern Pacific, the flesh and bones of which contain a fat or oil known to South Sea Islanders as a purgative agent. At the suggestion of Dr. E. W. Gudger, of the American Museum of Natural History, who described the biology of the fish,, a pharmacological study was undertaken of the oil obtained through Mr. Donald G. Kennedy, of Vaitupu, Ellice Islands, South Seas. The physical and chemical constants of the specimen studied, as determined by Dr. Warren M. Cox. were as follows: Preliminary experiments revealed that 10 to 15 cc. of Ruvettus oil administered to a cat by stomach tube was followed by an abundant soft stool after 2 hours. In dogs, 25 to 30 cc. of the oil have the same effect. The oil being limited, a special method of pharmacological experimentation was devised for quantitative and comparative studies. This consisted in preparing a thick suspension of finely divided animal charcoal and introducing from 0.5 to 1 cc. by means of a “stomach tube” into rats previously fed on a standard dry diet and allowed to fast a day before the experiment. The rats are killed at the end of a suitable period of time, usually 50 minutes; and the entire gastrointestinal tract is excised and spread out on the table. The distance traversed by the carbon suspension, seen through wall, is carefully measured and expressed as a percentage of the total length of the intestine. 0.1 to 0.2 cc. of an oil or other substance to be examined is given in the same way together with the black emulsion; comparative figures are thus obtained as to the laxative effect of a substance and normal controls.