[Promotion of wool growth and body weight development of sheep by alimentary supplementation with thiocyanate]. / Förderung der Wollbildung und Körpermasseentwicklung beim Schaf durch alimentäre Thiocyanatsupplementierung.

Adult sheep were administered 12 mg thiocyanate (SCN-)/kg body weight orally twice a year in altogether 16 respectively 41 single doses under conventional keeping during the period of stabling (winter) in two consecutive years. Fattening lambs got an analogous SCN- dosage with altogether 4 respectively 34 single doses under intensive keeping. Aided by this temporarily obtained balance of an alimentary SCN- deficiency the following effects were reached during conventional keeping: Significant increase of the wool mass in the greasy state and a tendency to better breading performance. During intensive fattening an increase of the wool mass and of the staple cross-section was proven statistically in the mean for all the test animals, but for the increase of the staple length it could be shown only by comparison of twins.

[Lactoperoxidase activity and thiocyanate content of milk from cows with mastitis in different lactation stages]. / Lactoperoxidase-Aktivität und Thiocyanat-Gehalt der Milch bei euterkranken Kühen in unterschiedlichen Laktationsstadien.

During three lactational periods (start, middle and end of lactation) of 35 milk cows suffering from mastitis and compared with 34 healthy milk cows of comparable milk production the activity of lactoperoxidase (LPO) and the SCN-content of the milk in each udder quarter were determined. Both components showed no alterations in the subclinical form of the disease. There exists a decrease of the LPO activity in the secretion of ill udder quarters, which will be distinct only in the individual animal and a strong increase of the SCN-content, which is also significant in comparison with the milk of healthy cows.

[Thiocyanate content in blood plasma, udder lymph and milk from healthy cows and cows with mastitis]. / Thiocyanatgehalt in Blutplasma, Euterlymphe und Milch von gesunden und euterkranken Kühen.

After storage for more than one year the SCN(-)-content of udder lymph was not changed seriously, but in blood serum and mainly in milk, there is an evident decrease. In lactational cows with healthy udders the SCN(-)-content of blood plasma is higher than in milk (in average twice). There is no difference of the SCN(-)-content of the four udder parts of healthy cows. Decrease of milk production (10. to 13. lactational month) causes an increase of the SCN(-)-content of the milk, it is not changed in subclinical mastitis. In lactational cows with healthy udders the SCN(-)-content of udder lymph is nearly triple higher in average than in milk of the corresponding quarter of the udder. The existence of a common compartment of SCN- in blood and udder lymph is assumed, which is separated from them of the milk by the blood udder barrier.

[Effect of an alimentary thiocyanate supplement on the hide characteristics of mink (Mustela vision)]. / Einfluss einer alimentären Thiocyanatergänzung auf Felleigenschaften beim Nerz (Mustela vision).

In farm minks the following effects were achieved by additional feeding of KSCN (0,9-2,6 mg SCN-/kg body weight) equivalent to twice til triple the usual SCN- intake (0,2-0,9 mg SCN-/kg body weight) during the 3. to 7. month of life: improvement of the coat structure and of length, density, and elasticity of the guard hairs, additionally to increase of body weight and length.

[Thiocyanate blood levels in roe deer, red deer, fallow deer and wild boar]. / Untersuchungen zum Thiocyanatserumspiegel bei Reh-, Rot-, Dam- und Schwarzwild.

The following serum levels of thiocyanate (SCN-) were found in game: roe 6.6 +/- 4 mg/l, red deer 5.5 +/- 3.2 mg/l, fallow-deer 5.1 +/- 2.8 mg/l, and wild boar 4.8 +/- 4.5 mg/l (variation 0.6-32.6 mg SCN-/l). These levels are distinctly higher than in domestic animals under stall-feeding with exception of mast calves which were fed milk-substitutes. The SCN- serum level of calves, sheep and horses reach at pasturing nearly the level of game. The higher SCN- serum level of cloven-hoof game resp. by pasturing of domestic animals is caused by higher alimentary SCN- intake.

[The importance of the endogenous agent and environmental factor thiocyanate for nonspecific and specific resistance from the hygienic viewpoint]. / Zur Bedeutung des endogenen Wirkstoffs und Umweltfaktors Thiocyanat für die unspezifische und spezifische Resistenz aus hygienischer Sicht.

Thiocyanate (previous designation rhodanide, SCN-) is a physiological substance which is ubiquitously spread in the animate nature. As an essential constituent of cell it participates in important physiological resp. biochemical processes. From the hygienic and microbiological point of view the occurrence of SCN- as environmental factor, its alimentary significance and its vitalizing effect (stimulation of nonspecific and specific warding off, stimulation of proliferation, protective effect at toxic loading) are of interest for the fundamental and applied research.

[Promotion of hair growth with thiocyanate in guinea pigs]. / Förderung der Haarentwicklung durch Thiocyanat beim Meerschweinchen.

The advancement of growth of albino guinea pig hair has been induced by sodium thiocyanate through oral application (32 mg/kg) and more distinctly through balneological use (0.3, 5 resp. 10 g/l). The density of the hair has been increased at 6-38%, the longitudinal growth advanced at 2-14% and the phases of follicle cycle have been changed on behalf of anagenic hair at 11-39%.

[The alimentary ingestion, analysis and biological significance of thiocyanate]. / Zur alimentären Aufnahme, Analytik und biologischen Bedeutung des Thiocyanats.

A survey is given of the alimentary ingestion, metabolization and elimination as well as of the biological significance of thiocyanate (SCN-) in the mammalian organism. SCN- is an important nutritional factor since it influences essential bodily functions, e.g. immune response. Its analytical determination in vegetable and animal foodstuffs may be considerably affected by the reversible binding of SCN- to protein molecules and by natural products, e.g. amino acids and cyanide, from glycosidic precursors, which interfere with the reaction with bromine. This will be combining paper chromatography with gas chromatography. Except Brassica species which are relatively high in SCN- in glycosidic combination, vegetable foodstuffs contain nearly 0.1-1.3 mg SCN-/kg fresh material; animal foodstuffs, e.g. beef, contains 0.5-0.7 mg SCN-/kg. Balances calculations have shown that in non-smokers the average alimentary ingestion ranges from 1.8 to 5.2 mg SCN-/d.

[Comparative studies on the determination of thiocyanate in biological materials (author's transl)]. / Vergleichende Untersuchungen zur Bestimmung von Thiocyanat in biologischen Materialien.

On verifying methods for the determination of thiocyanate in biological materials, we started from the technique as described by Boxer and Rickards [5]. In different methods, the accuracy of the data obtained is affected by the deproteinization process or interfered with iron (III) ions or pyridine/benzidine, the deproteinization process being the decisive factor. This holds true especially in respect of interfering factors that remain in the supernatant (low-molecular amino compounds) and in respect of the coprecipitation of thiocyanate, the nature of the respective biological material playing an important part in both cases. At higher thiocyanate concentrations, pretreatment with a denaturing agent that is commonly used to deproteinization of human and bovine sera involves a small loss of thiocyanate due to coprecipitation. In case of high demands on reproducibility and accuracy of the analytical results, and in case of special analytical problems, isolation of thiocyanate is absolutely necessary (chromatography on Sephadex, aeration after conversion to hydrogen cyanide). Gas chromatography is suited for determining thiocyanate in whole blood.

[Gas chromatographic determination of thiocyanate in vegetable and animal foods and in human serum following paper chromatographic separation (author's transl)]. / Gaschromatografische Bestimmung des Thiocyanats in pflanzlichen und tierischen Lebensmitteln sowie Humanserum nach papierchromatografischer Abtrennung.

Paper chromatographic separation of thiocyanate is the first step in determining non-bound thiocyanate in homogenized animal and vegetable foods and in human serum. The thiocyanate eluated from the paper chromatogram is brominated and then determined as cyanogen bromide using a gas chromatograph equipped with an electron-capture detector. Interfering substances (mainly ethanol-unprecipitable protein components, amino acids and cyanide from glycosidic precursors) are eliminated by this procedure.

[Studies on influence of thiocyanate on immune response by use of the hemolytic plaque technique (author's transl)]. / Untersuchungen zum Einfluss von Thiocyanat auf die Immunantwort mit der direkten Hämolyse-Plaque-Technik.

Mice immunized with sheep red blood cells produce more direct plaque-forming cells, estimated with the hemolytic plaque-technique, during the primary immune response if they receive in that time 150 mg NaSCN/kg body mass with the drinking-water every day. The thiocyanate quantity of serum in immunized animals is higher than that in non-immunized animals. The titers of antibodies estimated by the hemagglutination test is about 1 titer step higher in thiocyanate-treated animals than in non-thiocyanate-treated animals. That applies also to the secondary immune response, in which course thiocyanate was not supplied. It is possible, that for instance a greater number of memory-cells was produced during the primary immune response in consequence of the thiocyanate application. Studies in similar arrangement with guinea-pigs confirm these statements in certain parameters.

[Use of a modified Aldridge method for the elimination of certain amino acids and protein components interfering with the determination of thiocyanate in human and animal sera (author's transl)]. / Anwendung einer modifizierten Aldridge-Methode zur Eliminierung einiger Aminosäuren und Proteinbestandteile als Störfaktoren der Thiocyanatbestimmung in menschlichen tierischen Seren.

Since the amino acids and protein components remaining in the supernatant after protein precipitation react with bromine to give cyanogen bromide just as thiocyanate, they interfere with the determination of human and animal sera by the Aldridge method. This interference is widely eliminated by hydrochlorination of the amino acids or by reduction of the redox potential of bromine in an acid medium.