THE PITUITARY BODY 



glycogen in the liver was the result of the injection of prolan 

 into normal or gonadectomized rabbits of both sexes. 



Creatine-creatinine metabolism in relation to age, sex, and 

 the effect of prolan was studied in a small number of rabbits 

 and dogs by Biihler (1935). He concluded that gonadectomy 

 of adult animals is followed after 2-3 months by an increased 

 urinary excretion of both creatine and creatinine. Later only 

 the excretion of creatinine remained elevated. (Gonadectomy 

 in immature animals did not result in such changes.) The 

 administration of prolan was found not to affect creatine- 

 creatinine excretion in immature dogs. In the sexually ma- 

 ture dog it caused a disappearance of creatine from the 

 urine. Although prolan did not affect the urinary excretion 

 of creatine in adult normal rabbits, it caused an increased 

 excretion after castration. This effect could not be observed 

 in castrated dogs. The dose of prolan used by the author in 

 dogs or rabbits was 120 rat-units administered twice. Nit- 

 zescu and Gontzea (1937) studied creatine-creatinine metab- 

 olism in an achondroplastic, infantile dwarf. The injection of 

 200-300 rat-units of prolan intramuscularly brought about 

 a reduction in the excretion of creatine but scarcely affected 

 that of creatinine. Also there appeared to be an increased 

 creatine-tolerance. The same phenomena were more pro- 

 nounced following the administration of male hormone (4 

 capon-units of "Erugon"). 



The effects of prolan on the metabolism of only one lipoid, 

 cholesterol,'-^ have been investigated recently. Szpidbaum 

 (1935) found that the blood-cholesterol rose (e.g., 40-50 per 

 cent or more) after the injection of prolan into patients re- 

 covering from typhoid fever. He believed that the hormone 

 caused a mobilization of cholesterol reserves with consequent 

 benefit to patients because of an increased non-specific im- 

 munity. Szpidbaum injected total doses of 1,500-3,000 rat- 

 units as 500 rat-units daily or on alternate days. Other ob- 

 servations have all been made in rabbits (Cioglia, 1935-36; 



'J Presumably all the authors determined the total cholesterol. 



[ 136 ] 



