Abstract
Recent work by Krichesky, et al., has demonstrated the effect of testosterone propionate on prostatic implants in the eye of the male rabbit, and has confirmed earlier reports that maintenance of the transplanted accessory tissue is dependent on the normal functioning of the testes, since castration results in atrophy of the transplanted tissue. 1 In undertaking a similar experiment in which 2 different gonadotropic agents were administered, a consistent response was observed which, to the writers' knowledge, has heretofore been unreported.
Fifteen male rabbits from 4 to 6 months of age were completely prostatectomized and bits of the excised tissue implanted into the anterior chamber of the eyes following the technic described by Benjamin, et al. 2 Of the 60 transplants (4 per animal) 36 remained observable and in an apparently normal physiologic condition. A photographic method was employed in recording the day by day area of the transplants. The areas of individual transplants were calculated by means of a planimeter and the average value over a 2-week period was taken as 100% for that implant. An increase in area was then expressed as greater than 100% and a decrease as less. than 100%.
All animals were injected subcutaneously 6 days per week for a 2-week period with either chorionic gonadotropin (APL) or hypophyseal gonadotropin (Anterior Hypophyseal Gonadotropic Factor).‡ In 5 cases, after the animals had undergone such a series of injections with one hormone, they were allowed to rest for approximately one month and were then subjected to a second series. of injections with the other gonadotropic agent. The results were in no way distorted by this procedure since the character and magnitude of the responses were not different from those animals given only one series of injections.
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