THE EFFECT OF OESTRONE ON THE MAMMARY GLAND OF ADRENALECTOMIZED GUINEA-PIGS
SUMMARY In the guinea-pig progesterone is not required for alveolar development of the mammary gland. In order to test the hypothesis that this can be accounted for by endogenous progesterone produced by the adrenal cortex in this species, the growth response of the mammary gland to oestrone of adrenalectomized castrated male guinea-pigs has been studied. Oestrone applied to the nipples as an alcoholic solution in doses of 15 μg/day for 14 days resulted in the formation of clusters of mammary alveoli in animals subjected merely to castration. In eleven castrated and adrenalectomized animals which survived oestrone treatment for periods of 11–28 days only duct proliferation with occasional formation of isolated alveoli was observed. Nipple growth in response to oestrone, as indicated by changes in nipple length, was much the same in both groups. Administration of oestrone to adrenalectomized animals was found to be toxic. The average survival of oestrone-treated, adrenalectomized castrated animals was only 4 days, compared with an average survival period of 16·6 days in similar animals not treated with oestrone.