THE EFFECT OF SURGICAL REDUCTION OF THE AMOUNT OF REACTING TISSUE UPON THE QUANTITATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF TESTOSTERONE PROPIONATE AND ESTRONE

Abstract

The effect of surgically reducing the amt. of reactive tissue upon the quantitative response to testosterone propionate and estrone was tested in the rat. 76 young J1 rats, 90 to 110 gms. in wt. were all gonadectomized; 30 of them also had 1 seminal vesicle and its associated coagulating gland removed, and 6 had the ventral lobes of the prostate and 1 seminal vesicle removed. 30 animals received 15 [gamma] of testosterone propionate daily for 5 days. 36 animals received 30 [gamma] of testosterone propionate daily for 5 days, and 10 were not injected. Similarly, 37 [female] rats, 22 days of age, were ovariectomized and the left uterine horn was also removed from 16 of them. 15 of them received 0.5 [gamma] of estrone daily for 5 days, 15 received 1 [gamma] of estrone daily for 5 days, and 7 were not injected. Autopsy wts. of seminal vesicles, prostates, and uterine horns show that the surgical removal of considerable portions of the reactive tissue did not alter the quantitative response of the remaining tissue to either testosterone propionate or estrone. The conc. of hormone in the blood stream during the exptl. period was a more significant factor in the detn. of the quantitative response than was the ratio of hormone dosage to the amt. of reactive tissue.