A STUDY OF THE VIRILIZING EFFECT OF PROGESTOGENS ON THE FEMALE RAT FETUS

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Abstract
A series of progestogenie steroids has been evaluated for: (1) virilizing activity during gestation on the female fetus of the rat, (2) androgenic activity on the spayed rat seminal-vesicle weight and on the chick-comb, and (3) progestational activity on the rabbit uterus. The results indicate that: (1) the 17α-hydroxyprogesterone- derivatives, even in extremely high dosage, exhibit no masculinizing properties; (2) the alkylation of 17a-hydroxyprogesterone-derivatives may lead to virilizing activity; (3) 17α-ethinyl-testosterone has less virilizing activity than any of its derivatives that were tested; and (4) the most virilizing steroid among the 17α-alkyl-19-nor-testosterone derivatives is the 17α-methyl-compound; the 17α-ethinyl-compound and its 17β-acetate are remarkably less virilizing; and the 17-alkyl-estrenole has the least virilizing activity of this group. Preliminary animal studies to determine the relative potency of these activites should be undertaken with all compounds that are proposed for use as therapeutic agents in human pregnancy disorders.