Abstract
In a previous paper 1 the production of an androgenic substance by the adrenal cortex in castrate rats after the administration of adrenocorticotropic extracts (A-C-T) was reported. The production of an estrogenic substance by the adrenal cortex in spayed immature female rats after the administration of A-C-T is herein reported.†
Wyman, 2 Martin 3 and Corey and Britton 4 have demonstrated the cessation of estrus after adrenalectomy. Nice and Shiffer 5 were able to obtain premature sexual development in immature female rats with implants of rat adrenals. Frank 6 has reported an increase in the excretion of female sex hormone in patients with cortical tumors. Quantitatively negative results were reported by Corey and Britton 7 in ovariectomized rats and by Corey 8 in hypophysectomized rats in attempts to produce estrus with adrenal cortical extracts.
Immature female rats were spayed when 22-23 days old. Injections of A-C-T (prepared and assayed by the method previously published 9 ) were given intraperitoneally beginning on the day following the operation. The vaginae of the injected spayed rats opened after the administration of 30-42 units of A-C-T. The vaginae of untreated spayed rats did not open.
Vaginal smears of the treated spayed rats showed the presence of cornified cells, a few nucleated epithelial cells and leucocytes. Animals W 18 and B 05 showed, 2 days after the opening of the vagina, vaginal smears consisting predominantly of leucocytes.
At autopsy the adrenals of the injected rats were found to be greatly hypertrophied.
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