The influence of the hypophysis on metabolism, growth and sexual organs of male rats and rabbits

Abstract

A slightly alkaline extract, about pH 7.4 was prepared from the anterior lobe of the pitutiary (ox) which had been ground with glycerol, kept at [long dash]5[degree] and injected intraperitoneally into normal, cryptorchid and castrated young and adult male rats in amounts of from 1 to 2 cc. No decided influence was noticed on the growth of the animals as judged by weight. Body fat as judged by the intra-abdominal fat was decreased on the average by about 24%. Under the influence of injections of the extract the weight of penis, testes, and prostate with seminal vesicles was decreased to the greatest extent in cryptorchid animals (on an average for these organs by 31, 30 and 62% respectively). This effect was less noticeable in normal and absent in castrated rats. The weight of the thyroids was decreased by about 17% in normal and cryptorchid animals, but not significantly in castrated rats. It is concluded that the anterior lobe contains substances diminishing the weights of the penis, prostate, seminal vesicles, testes, thyroids and decreasing fat deposition and N metabolism.