CHANGES IN THE GONADOTROPHS OF THE RAT PITUITARY AFTER GONADECTOMY

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Abstract
IN A preceding paper (Purves and Griesbach, 1954) evidence was presented for the presence in the anterior pituitary of the rat of two specific types of gonadotrophic basophils. Of these, the peripherally situated, coarsely granulated type appeared to be concerned with the production of FSH, while the central, finely granulated type was assumed to produce LH. In this paper, observations on gonadectomised rats will be reported, in which the resulting cell changes in the anterior pituitary are correlated to changes in the gonadotrophic potency of tissue from the same gland. It will be shown that the changes which occur in the follicle stimulating and luteinising potencies of the glands within certain times after gonadectomy, are paralleled by characteristic changes in the two types of gonadotrophic basophils. The evidence obtained by these observations supports the results of the preceding paper.