Augmentation of Gonad Stimulating Hormone of the Hypophysis by Copper

Abstract

In a recent report 1 it was shown that zinc sulphate in combination with antuitrin S augmented the weights of the ovaries of immature rats above that obtained with antuitrin S alone. In contrast to this, zinc sulphate had no augmentative effect when given in combination with pituitary implants. Copper, on the other hand, seems to differ from zinc in certain of these ovarian augmentative reactions. Fevold, et al., 2 obtained ovulation in rabbits by intravenous injections of copper salts but failed to do so with zinc. In these rabbits the copper may have altered the response of the gonad stimulating hormones present in the blood. It, therefore, seems likely that a similar mechanism might be induced in immature rats by combinations of copper salts and pituitary implants. The data on this point are described in the present study.

The recipients were albino rats of approximately 38 gm. body weight. All donors were normal adult male rats. The pituitary implants were made in the abdominal cavity under ether anesthesia. Copper sulphate was given intraperitoneally once or twice daily in doses up to one-third of a milligram at a time in one cubic centimeter of saline solution. The ovaries were removed 5 days after the implants were made.

One normal male pituitary increased the average weight of both ovaries from 13.0 mg. (controls) to 17.0 mg. (groups A and B, Table I). Under the same treatment but with copper sulphate the ovaries weighed 22.3 mg. (group C). In this group the distribution of the ovarian weights was more even throughout the range while in those without copper (group B) in only 2 cases were the weights above 24 mg. The median like the mean was higher in the copper treated group but the differences are small and not statistically significant.