Note on the Failure of Anterior Lobe Extract to Pass from Fetus to Mother. 20

Abstract

In a previous paper 1 we showed that ovulation can be induced in the pregnant rabbit by intravenous injection of concentrated human urine of pregnancy or anterior lobe extract of beef. 21 This observation was the basis of further experiments here reported.

Since a pregnant rabbit could be made to ovulate by injecting either of these substances, it appeared that this phenomenon might well be used to investigate the possibility of the passage of anterior lobe substance from fetus to mother. We used 6 pregnant rabbits. The rabbits were opened under ether anesthesia by laparotomy. The injections were made through the unopened uterus directly into the fetuses by the aid of a syringe and a fine gauge needle. In all instances the material was injected into the peritoneal cavity or the neighboring musculature of the rump of the fetus. Into a fetus in one rabbit we injected 1 cc. of concentrated human urine of pregnancy. Into the fetuses in the other 5 rabbits various amounts from 2 to 8 cc. of anterior lobe extract (beef) were injected. Two days later the mother was opened again under anesthesia, so that the ovaries could be examined. At the same time the fetuses were observed to see that they were still living and their circulation intact. In the observations reported, all of the fetuses were alive at the termination of the experiments, so that failure of the anterior lobe extract to cause ovulation in the mothers can not be attributed to fetal death.

The results are shown in Table I. In no instance did ovulation occur in the mother after injection of anterior lobe extract into the fetuses. The series is small, but in 3 instances relatively large amounts of anterior lobe extract were injected into the fetuses.