T. L. Althausen 



2 1 



female sex hormone but to an indirect effect, possibly on some other endocrine 

 organ or on the metabolism of sodium chloride, which is known to differ 

 quantitatively in the two sexes. Experiments to lest tlic laiici possibility arc 

 in progress. 



The intestinal absorption of dextrose was measured in male rats which had 

 been injected with female sex hormone. Daily intramuscular administration 

 of 0.02 mg. of estrone for ten weeks to three-wcek-old males increased their 

 intestinal absorption of dextrose to the level characteristic of female rats 

 (table 5). In a control experiment, injections of sesame oil* failed to alter 

 the rate of intestinal absorption. On the other hand, similar injections of 0.1 

 mg. of estrone daily for fifteen days to adult male rats failed to increase their 



TABLE 6 



The Influence of Hvpophysectomy on Intestimal Absorption of 

 Dextrose in Female and Male Rats 



t Standard deviation. 



intestinal absorption of dextrose. These experiments confirm our conclusions 

 that the female sex hormone has a stimulating influence on intestinal absorp- 

 tion and that it acts in an indirect manner. 



The Hypophysis. In the course of an extensive investigation of the influence 

 of the hypophysis on carbohydrate metabolism, Russell"" found that hypoph- 

 ysectomy caused a marked decrease in the rate of intestinal absorption for 

 dextrose in male rats. Our experiments confirm this finding in both male and 

 female rats (table 6). Furthermore, Russell showed that injections of a stand- 

 ard alkaline extract of beef anterior pituitary did not increase intestinal ab- 

 sorption of dextrose in normal rats when given daily for twenty days, and did 

 not raise the rate of absorption for dextrose in hypophysectomized rats when 

 given as a single injection one to three hours before the dextrose was fed. On 

 the other hand, she observed that the abnormally low blood-sugar le\el of hy- 

 pophysectomized rats was raised to normal by a single injection of pituitary 

 extract shortly before feeding the dextrose. Therefore we concluded liiai the 

 hypophysis must influence intestinal absorption indirectly, possibly through 

 the thyroid gland by way of the thyrotrophic hormone. 1 his possibiIit\ Avas 

 supported by results of experiments with "cross replacement" of hormones. 



Cross Replacement Experiments. With the object of obtaining more infor- 

 mation on the interrelationship of various endocrine organs as far as their 



* Sesame oil is the vehicle in "Estrone" (Lilly) which was employed in this experiment. 



