THE EFFECTS OF VARIOUS GONADOTROPIC SUBSTANCES UPON THE OVARIES, PITUITARIES AND ADRENALS OF ANIMALS RECEIVING LONG-TERM INJECTIONS OF ESTRIN

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Abstract
35 mature [female] rats which had received 200 rat units of estradiol benzoate daily for 60 days were given 5-10 daily injs. of a gonadotropic prep. (pregnancy urine extract or extract or saline suspension of ant. pituitary); 8 rats which had received similar preliminary treatment were given 1,000 rat units of estradiol benzoate daily for 10 days. The pituitaries, ovaries and adrenals were compared with those of 15 60-day estrin-injected controls and of 20 untreated controls. Ovaries of 60-day estrin-injected rats showed a marked decrease in wt. and regression of the germinal and interstitial elements. Ovaries of rats which received gonadotropic hormone showed complete repair of the atrophy produced by the preliminary treatment with estrin. No qualitative differences in the response referable to the particular gonadotropic substance injected could be detected. Ovaries of rats receiving large doses of estrin after preliminary treatment with smaller doses showed no effect of the increased dosage. The pitui-taries of all injected rats were greatly increased in wt.; the increase was greater in rats receiving gonadotropic hormone or large doses of estrin than in 60-day estrin-injected rats. Pituitaries of injected rats exhibited no ovarian stimulating capacity when implanted into immature mice. The adrenals of 60-day estrin-injected rats were normal in wt.; those of rats receiving additional treatment were slightly hypertrophied. The results indicate that estrin acts directly on the pituitary, causing, after long periods of injection, exhaustion of gonadotropic hormone production. The ovaries are not fundamentally damaged by long continued estrin administration but become atrophic because of inadequate stimulation.

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