Influence of Progesterone on Experimental Tuberculosis in Male Guinea Pigs

Abstract

As the condition of tuberculous patients appears to improve during the early months of pregnancy, we were interested in noting what influence the hormone, progesterone, might have on experimental tuberculosis.

Steinbach and Klein 1 found that pregnant mare serum, Antuitrin-S and Follutein to a less degree, retarded tuberculosis in rabbits and guinea pigs. Since the latter two agents stimulate the ovaries to luteinization, it seemed not unlikely that the effect on tuberculosis might be due to a hormone from the corpus luteum, which develops and persists during pregnancy.

Male guinea pigs were used to eliminate fluctuations in secretion of hormones from the ovaries that would occur in the female. Animals used had an initial range of weights from 370-470 g and were negative to tuberculin. Twenty were inoculated subcutaneously with 1 mg of the C3 strain of bovine tubercle bacilli. On the same day, 1/2 unit of progesterone∗ was given to each of 10 of these animals and to a non-infected one by the subcutaneous route. The dose was administered 3 times weekly for 6 weeks. One non-infected animal which was not given progesterone was included in the series. The hormone preparation was an oil solution and contained one rabbit unit per cc as defined by Parke, Davis & Co. The original culture of tubercle bacilli was obtained from the laboratories of the New York City Department of Health. The culture used had been grown for 3 weeks on Petroff's medium and the suspension was made in saline. At autopsy, the animals were scored for tuberculosis by the method of Petroff and Steenken. 2 Tissues from 8 infected animals, of which 4 had received progesterone, and tissues from the 2 non-infected animals were fixed in Zenker's solution. Alternate paraffin sections were stained by the hematoxylin and eosin and Ziehl-Neelsen methods.