Abstract
A study of the responses of female mice, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits to the enteral and subcutaneous administration of the new triol 1 has given interesting data. Using rats 17-23 days of age it was found that minute quantities administered either subcutaneously or by stomach tube caused opening of the vagina in from 2 to 10 days. Vaginal smears made twice daily showed that cornification generally began on the third day following; the cornified cells persisted from 2 to 5 days. Animals sacrificed at the time leucocytes began to appear showed either large follicles or corpora lutea and sometimes both. That the new triol acts in the absence of the ovary is proved by the administration to ovariectomized rats 21-22 days of age. Opening of the vagina occurred in 2 to 7 days with the subsequent appearance of cornified cells in the smears.
Although our experiments are still incomplete our evidence indicates that if the amount required to produce opening of the vagina of 21 day old animals be regarded as a unit, the rat unit weighs 0.10γ or less and the mouse unit 0.004γ (1γ = 0.001 mg.).
Dr. W. D. Collier is making microscopic studies of our injected animals.
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