630. Pancreatinum.—Pancreatin.
Other tomes: Potter
A mixture of enzymes (Amylopsin, Trypsin, Steapsin) existing in the pancreas of warm-blooded animals capable of converting at least twenty-five times its weight of starch into sugars.
SOURCE.—Prepared from the pancreas of the hog or ox, by mixing finely chopped pancreas with half its weight of cold water and straining the liquid by pressure through cheese-cloth or flannel. To the filtrate, alcohol is added (about one volume), and the resulting precipitate collected, purified, and dried.
DESCRIPTION.—Yellowish-white amorphous powder with but slight odor and meat-like taste; slowly soluble in water, insoluble in alcohol. See U.S.P.
TEST.—Pancreatin acts best in alkaline medium (is injured by acids). If there be added to 4 fl. oz. of tepid water contained in a suitable flask or bottle, first 5 gr. of pancreatin, 20 gr. of bicarbonate of sodium, and afterward one pint of fresh cow's milk previously heated to 38°C. (100.4°F.), and if this mixture be maintained at the same temperature for thirty minutes, the milk should be so completely peptonized that, upon adding to a small portion of it transferred to a test-tube a slight excess of nitric acid, coagulation should not occur. This test we have found quite satisfactory as a convenient one. An alternate method of assay is based on the property of an aqueous solution of the principle to digest (or liquefy) starch paste. The U.S.P. IX furnishes the two tests—one indicating its power in peptonizing milk, the other its power in digesting starch. A limit of fat is adopted as one of the standards: Two grammes of pancreatin should not yield to ether more than 0.6 Gm. of fat.
ACTION AND USES.—Used as a digestive agent, especially for "peptonizing" milk. Dose: 10 gr. (0.6 Gm.).
RENNINUM.—Rennin, N.F. Partially purified, milk-curdling enzyme from the calf's stomach, capable of coagulating not less than 12,500 times its weight of fresh cow's milk. For assay see N.F.
