United States Patent Office Patented Apr
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3,031,376 United States Patent Office Patented Apr. 24, 1962 2 the performance all-out test, as well as on the naive stand 3,031376 ardized cardiovascular tests. CoMPOSITIONs coveristNG ocTAcosANOL, Despite the difficulty of improving the T-wave, during TRACONTANOL, TETRACOSANOL, OR HEXA COSANOL, AND METHODS EMPLOYING the twelve weeks of pretraining the T-wave improved SAME 1.12 mm., and during the six weeks of wheat germ oil Ezra Levin, 1109 W. University, Champaign, Ill., feeding improved 2.90 mm. The controls (the non-wheat Vernon Kirkpatrick Collins, Champaign, Dwight Steve germ oil group) averaged a loss of 0.13 mm. in the first Warner and John Darwin Mosser, Monticello, and twelve weeks, and a further loss of 1.54 mm. during the George Wolf, Urbana, Ill; said Collins, Varner, last six weeks. Mosser and Wolf assignors to said Levin O In 1953 studies were carried out on groups of middle No Drawing. Filed Oct. 11, 1956, Ser. No. 615,222 aged men. One group was on a dosage of wheat germ 10 Claims. (Cl. 167-65) oil and the other group took lard plus vitamin E equiva This invention relates as indicated to nutritional com lent of wheat germ oil. While men competed in the tests postions and their use, and more particularly to compo against their own scores, there was no competition against sitions which contain as an active component tetracosanol, 5 opponents. Furthermore, the work was carefully grad hexacosanol, octacosanol, and triacontanol, or their esters, uated to prevent the men from working too hard at first. either singly or in combinations thereof. This applica The group results showed significant advantage for the tion is related to co-pending case Serial 529,362, filed experimental subjects who took wheat germ oil over those August 18, 1955. who did not in both performance (willpower dominated) Within the recent past it has been learned that the 20 tests and in naive (non-willpower) tests. The physiolog value of wheat germ oil as a nutritional adjunct or sup ical advantage was shown in terms of running endurance plement goes beyond the attributes of vitamin E of which in "all out' treadmill runs, T-wave of the electrocardio it is a principal source. This conclusion is based upon gram, lower systolic blood pressure, the Schneider Index, various experiments carried on over the past years, some and the Illinois total body reaction-time tests in response of which have been noted in the co-pending application 25 to light, sound and combined signals. The next year the above identified. experiment was repeated with the subjects reversed. An early indication of this arose from an experiment Most of the men in the wheat germ oil group of the first carried out in 1949 at the University of Illinois on six year were given lard and vitamin E, and the men who groups of college students, three groups of eight, and were on lard in the previous year were given wheat germ three other groups of nine each, in basic swimming tests. 30 oil. The repeat experiment confirmed the results in the Significant changes in the T-wave (highest in lead first experiment, showing increased heart response and CRIvor v) of the electro-cardiogram were noted, as were physical endurance for groups taking wheat germ oil. improved responses in the Illinois vertical jump reaction Other tests have indicated the estrogenic, androgenic, time test, both of which favored raw unrefined wheat and gonadotrophic activity of wheat germ oil. Still other germ oil administered in capsules over the effect of vita 35 tests have suggested that wheat germ oil increased the min E (150 mg/week) encapsulated with refined corn glycogen in the testes or uterus. oil of equal calorific content. The synthetic vitamin E Because the tests with wheat germ oil show that it is (alpha tocopherol acetate) of the corn oil capsules was of value as a supplement to the diet, studies were insti calculated to equal the vitamin E of the wheat germ oil tuted to determine to what constituent or constituents capsules. The control groups were considered to be those 40 of wheat germ oil the physiological responses are on the vitamin E with refined corn oil. None of the sub attributable. jects knew what he was taking and the administration of The invention relates to the discovery of certain phys the capsules was carefully supervised. iologically active components in raw wheat germ oil to which these results are attributable, and among its ob Again in 1950-51, an advantage was shown for a group jects are the disclosure of such components heretofore of six men who were fed raw unrefined wheat germ oil in 45 unknown, to teach how they may be duplicated, or po dosages of twenty 3-minim capsules per day. The six tentiated, and to teach useful ways of applying these experimental subjects were put in hard physical training discoveries. for twelve weeks. During this interval, two were given It is a further object of the invention to provide com diet supplements of wheat germ oil, mentioned above. positions that may be relatively inexpensively synthesized At the end of this period, no further improvement on an 50 on a commercial scale which produce some of the same all-out bicycle ride test, nor on the brachial pulse wave physiological results as obtained with wheat germ oil. test or Schneider test was observed. A plateau had been It is another object of the invention to provide for reached in the physical response curve of each subject. the treatment of human beings and animals to obtain For the ensuing six weeks, two more of the subjects certain improved physiological responses and benefits were fed raw unrefined wheat germ oil capsules (as 55 therein. above), while the two remaining control subjects were To the foregoing and related ends, said invention com deprived of wheat germ oil. At the end of this period, prises the features hereinafter fully described and particu all groups were retested. The initial all-out bicycle test larly pointed out in the claims, the following description setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments riding times average of 247.8 seconds of the first group 60 of the invention, these being indicative, however, but of a improved after the twelve weeks of hard training to few of the various ways in which the principle of the 309.2 seconds, and improved again to 365.3 seconds dur invention may be employed. ing the six weeks wheat germ oil was fed. The control In accordance with the foregoing objects it has been subjects without wheat germ oil averaged 165.6 seconds discovered that some of the value that has been at times initially, 136.8 seconds at the end of the twelve weeks' 65 attributed to the vitamin E content of wheat germ oil is training period, and 172.8 seconds at the end of the next really due to some other factor. In the experiments six weeks' period, or a total improvement of only 3.74% conducted in the recent years showing the increased for the controls; whereas the subjects on wheat germ oil physical fitness in subjects who have taken what germ oil, improved 24.8% during the preliminary training period, the control groups have been administered vitamin E and 47.4% over the entire period. 70 without the same results that are attained with the use Favorable results for wheat germ oil were shown on of raw unrefined wheat germ oil. 8,031,876 3 4. The active component in wheat germ oil was dis ondary, alcohols, for example, 1-tetracosanoi, 1-hexa covered by the following chromatographic procedure: cosanol, 1-octacosanol, and 1-triacontanol. Esters which may be employed are 1-octacosyl acetate, 1-octacosyl Example 1 propionate, 1-triocontyl acetate, 1-tetracosyl acetate, 1 An unsaponifiable fraction of wheat germ oil was made hexacosyl acetate, 1-octacosyl phenoxyacetate, di-(1-tri in accordance with established methods by treating the ocontyl) phthalate, di-(1-octacosyl) succinate, and 1 oil with an alcoholic solution of potassium hydroxide at octacosyl phosphate. The foregoing compounds may be low temperatures and extracting the fraction from the used either singly or in admixture. Soap. The physiologically active compounds are associated Activated alumina was allowed to absorb moisture until 0. in the composition with a suitable compatible, non-toxic it reached about 4% moisture. This was made into a carrier. The carrier may be either a solid or liquid mate slurry with hexane and poured into a chromatographic rial, such as food or a pharmaceutical preparation. The tube with sintered glass bottom. Dimension of the compositions may take the form of tablets, powders, column of alumina in use was 76 mm. diameter by 330 capsules, or other dosage forms which are particularly mm. high. Before all the hexane had run down to 5 useful for oral ingestion. Also, they may be in suitable expose the alumina, the solution of unsaponifiable mat preparations for parenteral use. The compositions may ter in hexane was poured on, using about 20 grams of take the form of the above identified active compounds unsaponifiable matter per column. After the unsaponifi admixed with solid diluents or tableting adjuvants such able matter and hexane reached the top of the alumina, as corn starch, lactose, talc, stearic acid, magnesium a 50% mixture (by volume) of hexane-benzene was 20 stearate, gums, or the like; also, any of the other poured on the column without disturbing the unsaponifi tableting materials used in pharmaceutical practice or able portion on top of the column.