Maurício Oscar da Rocha e Silva, Brazilian pharmacologist (Rio de Janeiro 19 September 1910 –São Paulo 19 December 1983)

Authored about 300 papers and 7 books

Co-authored with J. Garcia Leme & H. Rothschild Chemical Mediators of the acute inflammatory reaction edited by Pergamon Press in 1972 and worldwide used

With O.G. Bier noticed that the hemolysis is inhibited by hypertonic concentrations of NaCl (1935)

Demonstrated that role of histamine in the permeability of inflammation

With O.G. Bier. Histamine as the primary cause of the increased capillary permeability in inflammation (1939) 

First stated the proteolytic theory of histamine release (1938)

Proved the heparin liberation in distinct types of shock

With S.O. Andrade & L.B. Teixeira. Coagulation defect in the shocks produced by trypsin peptone and ascaris extracts. Exp. Med. Surg. 4:260, 1946

With E.A. Scroggie, E. Fidlar & L.B. Jaques. Liberation of histamine and heparin by peptone from isolated dog’s liver. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 64:141, 1947

Discovered bradykinin

With W.T. Beraldo. Um novo principio autofarmacológico (bradicinina) liberado sob a ação de veneno de cobras e de tripsina. Ciência e Cult. 1:32-5, 1949

With G. Rosenfeld & W.T. Beraldo. Bradykinin, a hypotensive and smooth muscle stimulating factor released from plasma globulin by snake venoms and by trypsin. Am. J. Physiol. 156:261-73, 1949

Obtained the pure form of bradykinin

With S.O. Andrade. Purification of bradykinin by ion-exchange chromatography. Biochem. J. 64:701-5, 1956 

First report of an epidemics of bovine cattle photosensibilization in the world caused by a plant besides elucidating this disease (Andradina, São Paulo State 1938)

Fotossensibilização em bovinos. “A peste das queimadas”, doença produzida pelo Holocalyx glaziovii. Arq. Inst. Biol. (1940)

With A.M. Rothschild & I. Vugman established the role of cellular energetic metabolism in histamine release 

Papers in renowned journals

With A.M. Rothschild. Anaphylatoxin, histamine depletion and skin reactions in the rat. Nature 175 (4466):987-8, 1955

With O. Bier & M. Aronson. Histamine release by anaphylatoxin. Nature 168:465-6, 1951

With W.T. Beraldo. Effect of cations upon recovery of the guinea pig gut from inhibition by antihistaminics. Science 108 (2798):162-3, 1948

With S.O. Andrade & R.M. Teixeira. Fibrinolysis in peptone and anaphylatic shock in the dog. Nature 157:801, 1946

With S.O. Andrade. Antagonism between heparin and plasma trypsin. Science 102:670, 1945

METHODS/TECHNIQUES

Method of assay of bradykinin upon the guinea pig gut. Acta Physiol. Lat. Am. 2(4):238-50, 1952

Developed an assay using Latin square design for histamine releasing action of anaphylatoxin

With A.M. Rothschild. Experimental design for bioassay of a material inducing strong tachyphylactic effect (anaphylatoxin). Br. J. Pharmacol. Chemother. 11(3):252-62, 1956 

Concerning the theory of receptors in pharmacology. A rational method of estimation of p Aτ. Arch. Int. Pharmacodyn. 118:74, 1959

With A. Antonio described perfusion method of rat paw subcutaneous tissue in Med. Exp. 3:371, 1960 

Proposed an indirect method for calculating pAx based on the ratios between the slopes of reciprocal dose-effect regressions obtained in presence and absence of the antagonist

With C.R. Diniz, I. F. de Carvalho & J. Ryan. A micromethod for the determination of bradykininogen in blood plasma. Nature 192:1194-5, 1961 

Developed a technique for detecting histamine in nano-quantities

With I. Vugman. Biological determination of histamine in living tissues and body fluids. In: Rocha e Silva, M. (editor). Handbook of experimental pharmacology, vol 18(1), 1966

With H. O. Schild developed the isolated diaphragm of guinea pig technique

Modified M. Rose device for myxomicetes rheotropism 

With A. Dreyfus. Sobre certos aspectos do hygrotropismo das larvas de Megaselia scalaris Loew. Rev. Biol. Hyg. 6(1):36-8, 1935

HONORS

Medicine & Physiology Nobel Prize nominee