Abstract
Summary
Plasma rather than whole blood transports most or all of the glucose in the chicken. In view of variations in red cell concentration in this species, a measurement of plasma sugar can often be a more useful evaluation of circulating sugar concentration. The mature male and androgen injected females, which show a lower blood sugar level than immature fowls and laying hens, show no significant variation in sugar concentration of the plasma. It would therefore appear that the sex difference in blood glucose values reported for the chicken is a manifestation of variations in cell concentration. Androgen alters the whole blood sugar level by its cell-increasing action rather than by a primary action on sugar concentration.
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