THE BIOCHEMICAL EFFECTS OF SEX HORMONES. ACID AND ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE ACTIVITY, CALCIUM, AND PHOSPHORUS

Abstract

Daily subcut. injs. of 0.1 mg. of diethylstilbestrol and 0.2 mg. of testosterone propionate were given mature [male] and [female] rats, respectively, for 28-day periods. There was no change in the serum Ca nor in the feed output of Ca and P. The serum P was not influenced by the testosterone propionate, but diethylstilbestrol produced an apparent decrease. Diethylstilbestrol also produced a decrease in the acid phosphatase activity of the blood serum and the alkaline phosphatase activity of the femurs but had no influence on the alkaline phosphatase activity of the blood serum. The decrease in the alkaline phosphatase activity of the femurs may be related to the difficulty observed in the healing of bone metastases in carcinoma of the prostate. Testosterone propionate produced an increase in alkaline phosphatase activity of the serum without influencing the acid phosphatase activity of the serum or the alkaline phosphatase activity of the femurs.