THE EFFECTS OF ESTROGEN AND ANDROGEN ON OSMOTIC FRAGILITY AND FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF ERYTHROCYTES IN THE CHICKEN

Breed and sex differences were observed in erythrocyte counts in the chicken. A difference in osmotic fragility of erythrocytes was found between chickens of the New Hampshire and White Leghorn breeds. Erythrocytes from mature males were more susceptible to osmotic hemolysis than were erythrocytes from mature females. Lipids extracted from ghosts of erythrocytes from mature females or from males treated with diethylstilbestrol contained a higher proportion of oleic to stearic acid than did those from male birds. Incubation of erythrocytes in plasma derived from birds of the opposite sex increased the osmotic stability of ceils from males and decreased the stability of cells from females in comparison with the stability of erythrocytes incubated in autologous plasma.