On the Extra-Ovarian Origin of Estrogen

Abstract

1) Urinary estrogen excretion of climacteric women with uterus cancer was found in a comparatively large quantity and there were individual differences.
2) Urinary estrogen excretion of climacteric women after post-oophorectomy decreased temporarily, increased afterwards, and 12 days leter the post-operation estrogen was found to decrease again. Of the estrogen fraction, the decrease of estradiol was the clearest.
3) The greater part of estrogen extracted from the rabbit urines was about estradiol fraction. The mean value of estrogen excretion 28 days after oophorectomy was about a half of the pre-operation level. After adrenalectomy besides, estrogen decreased apparently, but a small amount of estrogen could be detected now in the urine.
4) Blood estrogen of adult female rabbits indicated the mean value of 2.35±0.24 μg per serum 10ml, after oophorectomy decreased to 1.56 μg and there were significant differences. However, the decrease rate of free and protein bound estrogen was about the same.
5) In this test it was affirmed that there were comparatively large amounts of estrogen in rabbit brain, lung, liver, kidney, bowel, uterus, muscle and fat.
6) The estrogen contained in rabbit fat, muscle, kidney and uterus decreased markedly after oophorectomy, especially, the decrease of estrogen contained in fat was most prominent.
7) It was concluded that no estrogen production occurs in rabbit uterus and kidney, but that the conversion of testosterone to estrogen occurs.