Effect of Some Steroids and of Corticotropin (ACTH) on Cellular Activity

Abstract

Summary and Conclusions

1. Cortisone acetate (Merck) (2.5 mg in 10 cc of sea water) tends to supress the incidence of normal cleavage in fertilized Arbacia punctulata ova. This is not referable to the vehicle in which the steroid is suspended. The vehicle does not alter the cleavage pattern. Filtering the suspension of cortisone acetate yields a cortisone residue capable of suppressing the incidence of normal cleavage, whereas the filtrate which is essentially the suspending vehicle has also no such inhibitory effect. The sperms are likewise inactivated by cortisone acetate (2.5 mg or 5 mg in 10 cc of sea water). Compount F (5 mg in 10 cc of sea water). Compound suspended in propylene glycol suppresses the incidence of normal cleavage of the fertilized ova. 2. Desoxycorticosterone acetate and the glucoside tend to have the same inhibitory effect on the cleavage of ova. 3. Two to 6 mg of ACTH (corticotropin) (Armour and Organon products) directly affects the cleavage pattern of Arbacia ova. There is also a greater incidence of suppression or at least retardation of segmentation of the ova. This indicates that this pituitatry hormone can likewise have a direct toxic effect on the ova without the mediation of the adrenal cortex. 4. In contrast, a protein anabolic steroid, testosterone propionate (Ciba), in 2.5 mg concentration, has no effect on the incidence of normal cleavage in Arbacia ova. 2.5 mg of Somatrofin (STH) a