Abstract
Conclusions
1. Daily doses of 30 γ of an ACTH suspension in beeswax and peanut oil injected for a week stimulated the adrenals of immature hypophysectomized and oophorectomized rats to form progestogen(s) as shown by the deciduoma test. 2. MH in daily doses as low as 50 γ accomplished this effect in immature hypophysectomized-adrenalectomized rats, the ovaries of which had previously been luteinized with PMSG. 3. Progesterone and DOCA in 7 daily doses of one mg induced deciduoma formation in immature hypophysectomized rats; hydrocortisone in 7 daily doses of 5 mg did not. 4. Since both MH and ACTH induce progestogen secretion, an assayist should study the respective target tissue of each (corpus luteum or adrenal cortex) for histologic evidence of activation rather than use biologic or chemical evidence of progestogen formation. An alternative would be to test for MH progestogen in hypophysectomized-adrenalectomized animals, and for ACTH-progestogen after hypophysectomy and oophorectomy.
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