PROGESTATIONAL ACTION OF DESOXYCORTICOSTERONE ACETATE IN SPAYED-ADRENALECTOMIZED CATS1,2,3

DESOXYCORTICOSTERONE has been shown to be capable of producing a progestational type of endometrium in immature rabbits that were pretreated with estrone (1-5). Hoffman (6) reported that this hormone could induce an estrous type of endometrium in spayed rabbits and that with continued injections the endometrium would become of a progestational type. However, Hohlweg (2) did not obtain this initial estrogenic action and a progestational effect in rabbits was obtained only after the animals had been primed with estrone. The mating response in spayed guinea pigs can be elicited with desoxycorticosterone (3). In the experiments reported here, efforts were made to determine the possible role of the animals own adrenal glands in the progestational activity of desoxycorticosterone acetate. It has been shown that progesterone can be recovered from the adrenal cortex (7), but any action of this gland in the intermediary metabolism of the steroids is unknown.