Radioimmunoassay (RIA) data on concentrations of circulating steroids in normal prepubertal and adult male and female humans, chimpanzees, rhesus monkeys, rats, mice, and hamsters have been collated from the literature. Few reports include data for both sexes, for age groups, or for more than one species. In selecting references for inclusion in the tables, efforts were made to choose data only from RIA procedures that were adequately validated. A number of similarities can be found by reviewing the tables. Levels of estradiol appear somewhat similar for humans, chimpanzees, and rhesus monkeys of both sexes. Among the notable differences are the levels of estradiol and progesterone in primates and rodents, the apparently high level of aldosterone in mice, and the patterns of progesterone secretion in mice and rats. All values in the tables have been converted to picograms for easy comparison between steroids and species. Data for humans are fairly complete, but there is a significant lack of information for several other species.
The toxic effects of hexachlorophene (HCP) on the central nervous system include paralysis of limbs with tonic extensor rigidity and edema and spongy degeneration of white matter in the brain and spinal cord (1 -4). These effects are reversible upon cessation of HCP administration (2), making it unlikely that permanent damage to cerebrospinal neurons is sustained in surviving animals. Instead, the signs suggest a "pressure lesion" ( 5 ) with the possibility of fatal outcome in cases that are severe, sustained, and unrelieved. This led us to investigate whether toxic amounts of HCP produce elevations of cerebrospinal fluid pressure (CSFP) and if so, whether this effect could be antagonized or reversed. The wide range of neurological observations accessible to simple "clinical" test in the cat was the basis for choice of this species over the rat for studies reported here.Materials and methods. Eighteen male mongrel cats, 1 to 2 years old, were immunized for distemper and pneumonitis and allowed to become accustomed to our laboratory for 4 to 5 weeks before use. They were removed from their cages twice each week and allowed free movement in the animal room while under observation to accustom them to the handling necessary for dosing and examination. They were systematically observed before and after treatment according to a checklist that included the criteria from Norton and DeBeer ( 6 ) , including recognition of personnel, grooming, feeding, drinking, and exploratory behavior, and many of the neurological tests outlined by McGrath (7), such as muscle tone, stretch, righting, placing, and extensor and pinnal reflexes.HCP, at a dose of 20 mg/kg, was weighed into a capsule for each animal and administered daily by the oral route. Blood samples 165
Bioassays based on the oral mouse uterine weight method have demonstrated the presence of estrogenic residues due to diethylstilbestrol in the edible tissues of chickens implanted with the drug. Chemical methods have now been developed which demonstrate conclusively that the estrogenic residues are diethylstilbestrol. Alcoholic extracts of the tissues are hydrolyzed with acid and carried through several extraction procedures. The residues are irradiated with ultraviolet light in a buffered alcohol solution, giving a yellow product which is measured colorimetrically. The colored product can be further converted to a colorless phenanthrene derivative that can be measured fluorometrically. The fluorophor gives characteristic activation and fluorescence spectra which can be used for identification. The diethylstilbestrol can also be identified by paper chromatography. Hydrolysis of the extracts with betaglucuronidase frees only a portion of the diethylstilbestrol in liver tissue.
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