THE ACTION OF MERTHIOLATE ON THE GONADOTROPIC EFFECT OF ANTERIOR PITUITARY EXTRACT

¹ From the Department of Pharmacology, Peiping Union Medical College

1. The germicide, sodium ethyl mercuri thiosalicylate ("Merthiolate"), in concentrations of 0.02 to 0.1 per cent (total doses 0.8 to 4.0 mgm.), augments the gonadotropic effect of anterior-pituitary extract after subcutaneous injection into immature male or female rats.

2. In one study of the augmentation-effect in immature female rats the dose of anterior-pituitary extract was kept constant. Under these conditions the logarithm of the ovarian weight or the logarithm of the change in ovarian weight is proportional to the logarithm of the concentration of merthiolate in a concentration-range of 0.02 to 0.075 per cent. Control experiments indicate that the important factor is concentration rather than total dose.

3. Merthiolate does not potentiate the gonadotropic effect of prolan or the active principle of urine of women with chorion-epithelioma in immature male or female rats.

4. From other experiments it is concluded that the probable basis for the augmentation-effect, so far as anterior-pituitary extract is concerned, is an interference with absorption due to chronic inflammatory changes. There is no evidence of any increase in the secretory activity of the pars glandularis of the test animal itself.