Studies were undertaken on an eventual initiating or promoting action of follicular hormone in the twofold mechanism of carcinogenesis on the mouse skin. Animals were grouped into two series. The first series was divided into two groups: one was painted with a folliculin oleous solution (Estrene 5) every 3 days, the other with a 5 per cent dilution of croton oil in estrene. The mice of the second series, previously submitted to three paintings with 3:4-benzpyrene, were divided into four groups: 1) control group, 2) painted with Estrene every 3 days, 3) treated with 5 per cent croton oil solution in olive oil, and 4) treated with 5 per cent dilution of croton oil in oleous solution of follicular hormone. Results show that the follicular hormone, either alone or combined with croton oil, fails to produce any initiating and promoting action when painted on mouse skin previously treated with sub-maximal doses of 3:4-benzpyrene. Folliculin, on the contrary, enhances considerably the promoting action of croton oil when painted with it on the skin sensitized with benzpyrene: a rather early appearance of epithelial projections without basal membrane and composed of atypical elements is seen, whereas in animals of the same series, long treated with paintings of croton oil diluted with olive oil or with oleous folliculin this picture is not observed.
The water, ashes and some cations and anions contents have been studied in 40 carcinomas and the values compared with those of the normal organs. Percentage increase of water, Ca, Mg, N, P and CI contents has been constantly observed, while a less constant increase has been seen for ashes, J, S, S04, Co, Mn and As.
Female rats have been treated with follicular hormone in association with croton oil. In one case only a malignant ovarian tumour was observed. The hypothesis is suggested that oestrogens may promote the carcinogenesis.
In order to study the promoting action of the follicular hormone on the genital system of the female, 48 rats were treated. After 2 previous endovaginal instillations of 0.30 per cent 3,4-benzpyrene, the rats have been divided into 4 groups: the first did not receive further treatment, the second received endovaginal instillations of 0.1 ml of folliculin (Estrene) every 3 days, the third received instillations of 0.1ml of croton oil in olive oil, the fourth 0.1 ml of a 5 per cent solution of croton oil in Estrene. The rats were sacrificed at time intervals, from a minimum of 20 days to a maximum of 250 days. The whole of the experiments showed that: a) benzpyrene in the employed dosis did not produce tumour occurrence in the genital organs of the rat. b) the association of benzpyrene (initiating factor) with croton oil in olive oil (promoting factor) induces only changes of hyperplastic and precarcinomatous type. c) folliculin, on the other hand, exerts a marked promoting action on cancer appearance. In fact, in animals treated with folliculin, a gradual transformation of the hyperplastic processes in precarcinomatous stages and in true epithelial tumours is observed, restricted to the vagina and the low portion of the uterine cervix; such transformation is directly related to the duration of the folliculin treatment, and the hormonal action is increased by croton oil association. In the upper portion of the cervix, in the horns, salpinx and ovary only alterations dependent on the specific and prolonged action of the follicular hormone are observed.
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