R. M. Melampy

In vitro synthesis of progesterone by swine corpora lutea

Summary A method is described for investigation of in vitro synthesis of progesterone by swine luteal tissue Heating tissue for one half hour at 95°C inhibited in vitro production of hormone. Addition of pregnenolone and DPN to tissue medium increased progesterone synthesis. Average weight of luteal tissue/animal was 1.11 g at day 4 of estrous cycle, 5.49 at day 12 and 1.40 at day 18. Average weight of corpora lutea during gestation was relatively constant. During estrous cycle, concentration of progesterone in luteal tissue increased from 21 μg/g at day 4 to 74 μg/g by day 16. At day 18 no detectable hormone was present. An increase in hormone concentration was found after 2 hr incubation in Krebs Ringer bicarbonate buffer medium except with tissue from day 18; greatest increase was observed in tissue from day 4 of cycle. During gestation, initial progesterone concentrations in luteal tissue from animals at days 16, 24 and 48 were higher than those in non-pregnant animals. However, increase in progesterone concentration following incubation was less in corpora lutea from pregnant than from non-pregnant animals.

Comparative Study of Lipids in Vertebrate Testes.

Summary 1. Comparative histochemical study of vertebrate testes was carried out on sexually mature males representing the classes Mammalia, Aves, Reptilia, Amphibia, and Pisces. Lipids were examined as to their morphological localization in the bull, ram, boar, rat, guinea pig, rooster, the horned lizard, Phrynosoma cornutum (Harlan), the frog, Rana pipiens, and the bluegill fish, Lepomis macrochirus Rafinesque. 2. Following the use of Sudan dyes, lipids were observed in the interstitial cell cytoplasm, the basement membrane, and the cytoplasm of the Sertoli cells, spermatogonia, spermatocytes, and spermatids of all species studied with the exception of the bluegill fish. In the bluegill, lipids were visible in the germ cells and in the interlobular connective tissue sheath. A reaction for carbonyl groups was obtained suggesting the presence of ketosteroid material in the Leydig cells of all species examined, except in the case of the boar, rooster, and fish. With the aid of Bakers acid hematin test, phospholipid was found in the testicular cell types of the species studied. This method was not applied to the bluegill fish testis. Schultz-positive material was noted in the Leydig cells of the bull, ram, boar, rat, guinea pig, horned lizard, and frog. Birefringent digitonides were present in the Leydig cells and seminiferous tubules of the frog. 3. The similarity in the patterns of lipid distribution in the testis of closely related vertebrate species, and those species which are more distant in taxonomic relationship, suggests the structural and metabolic importance of lipids in spermatogenesis as well as in the function of Sertoli and interstitial cells.

Effect of pantothenic acid deficiency upon adrenal cortex, thymus, spleen, and circulating lymphocytes in mice.

Summary Adult male mice placed on a pantothenate-deficient diet developed a lymphopenia followed by lymphocytosis when compared to control animals. The adrenal cortex showed hypertrophy and simultaneous, gradual depletion of lipid material, including ketosteroids, from the zona fasciculata. By the seventh week the zona fasciculata was nearly depleted of its hormone. In deficient mice, the thymus atrophied and there was a gradual enlargement of the spleen. Starvation caused a rapid depletion of the lipid, including the ketosteroids, from the zona fasciculata. The zona glomerulosa remained unchanged in pantothenic acid deficiency whereas in starvation it was depleted of steroid material but retained some sudanophilic lipids.

Progesterone and Δ4 Pregnen-20β-ol-3-one in Bovine Reproductive Organs and Body Fluids.

Summary Mean endogenous progesterone concentrations of bovine luteal tissue increased from 29.2 μg/g at day 8 to 47.2 μg/g at day 16 of the estrous cycle. Δ4 Pregnen-20β-ol-3-one increased from 0.3 μg/g at day 8 to 2.0 μg/g at day 16. Mean progesterone concentration increased 46.2 μg/g in tissue at day 8 of the cycle and 53.4 μg/g in tissue from day 16 during 2 hr incubation in Krebs Ringer bicarbonate medium. Increases of 20β-ol concentration on incubation were 2.1 and 12.4 μg/g at days 8 and 16 respectively. Mean concentration of progesterone ranged from 4.0 to 18.2 μg/g and 20β-ol from 5.3 to 10.5 μg/g in luteal tissue at seven stages of pregnancy investigated. Blood plasma from pregnant animals contained 0 to 2.13 μg progesterone/100 ml plasma and no detectable 20β-ol. Neither progesterone nor 20β-ol was detected in placental fluids and only progesterone (4.4 μg/kg) was found in one of 6 placentae.

Chemical Composition of Bovine Spermatozoa

Summary The chemical composition of bovine spermatozoa has been determined. Data are presented including total N, total lipid, ash, and total phosphoru. Seventeen amino acids were determined by microbiological assays.

Composition of Rat Seminal Vesicles and Effects of Testosterone Propionate on Lipid distribution.

Summary In sexually immature rats (wt 77 g) the seminal vesicles weighed 2.1 mg (dry wt0 and contained 0.3 mg total N and 0.1 mg lipid, whereas in sexually mature animals (wt 386 g) the glands weighed 394 mg with 59.5 mg N and 4.7 mg lipid. A diffuse cytoplasmic sudanophilia was observed in the columnar epithelium of the seminal vesicles of sexually mature males. Following castration there was a marked accumulation of lipid in the basal end of the cuboidal cells. The administration of testosterone propionate caused the diffuse sudanophilia to appear. Phospholipid was observed in the secretory granules. A marked reduction in phospholipid reaction was observed following gonadectomy due to the disappearance of the granules. A marked increase in the granules and associated phospholipid reaction was noted following hormone replacement.