Vitamin E and Pituitary Hormone. I. Failure of Vitamin E Preparations to Induce Precocious Sexual Development

Abstract

Verzir and his collaborators" observed that the extracts of wheat-germs containing vitamin E, when applied intraperitonedly or subcutaneously, bring about the same biological reaction as the hormone from the anterior lobe of pituitary gland, i. e., oestrus and hypertrophy of the uterus (based on precocious activation of ovaries).The purpose of our experiments was to reproduce Verzir's results and thus to use this phenomenon as a convenient means of standardization of vitamin E preparations,* and further to compare the activity of vitamin E with that of pituitary hormone and prolan A. Three active vitamin E preparations were used, the potency of which was proved by the Evans-Burr method.For testing vitamin E preparations ( I and 11) 3 groups (6 in each) of infantiie female rats (30-35 days) were used. The first and second groups received daily intraperitoneally, for 14 days, 0.3 cc. of vitamin E preparations Nos. I and 11, respectively. The third group serving as control received the same amount of olive oil. Experimental and control animals gained in body weight and seemed healthy. No external signs of stimulation of sex development s x h as hypertrophy and hyperemia of labiae waginalis and opening of vagina were observed. On dissection also we found no signs of maturity, i. e., neither ripening of follicles nor hypertrophy and hyperemia of uterus and tubes.Similar tests were made with vitamin E preparations No. IIIa and IIIb. Three animals of the first group, and 2 of the second died after receiving 5 doses (0.3 cc.) while the other animals survived as many as 12 doses each. On the fifth day the animals were examined, killed and dissected. The experimental animals lost much weight. the skin of abdominal regions was wet, and the ab-1 Szarka, A.

Habitual Abortion and Stillbirth Syndrome

“…It has been shown (Rowlands and Singer, 1936) that the pituitaries of rats fed on an E-free diet are markedly defective in the luteinizing or ovulation-producing hormone as tested on oestrous rabbits. At the same time neither anterior pituitary nor luteinizing pregnancy urine extracts are capable of preventing the resorption of the foetuses in an E-free rat (Diakov and Krizenecky, 1933 ;Geller, 1933 ;Rowlands and Singer, 1936).…”