Abstract
Summary
An emphysema-like lesion was produced in rats by periodic administration of papain aerosol. Progesterone (5 mg/kg/day) prevented the condition in males and ovariectomized females, but not in unaltered females. Estradiol-17β or diethylstilbestrol, at doses of 1 μg/rat/day, inhibited the protective action of progesterone. Neither of these estrogens alone had protective or deleterious effects in papain-treated rats. None of the hormones studied altered serum antitrypsin activity. Therefore, it is unlikely that either the beneficial effects of progesterone or the antagonistic effects of estradiol-17β or diethylstilbestrol were mediated through changes in this serum factor.
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