For the assay of relaxin, response to the hormone of the pubis symphysis of guinea pig is usually used. It seems that the repeated use of the guinea pig for the test reduce the sensitivity of the animal to relaxin and this is one of causes of variation in the assay.
Intact female guinea pigs weighning initially 350 to 450 g were injected 15μg of diethylstilbestrol every week throughout the present study. Daily injection of 2 GPU of relaxin for 8 days reduced the response of the symphysis pubis gradually and at 8 days to the extent of one sixth to one tenth of initial response.
Thereafter, 2 GPU of relaxin was injected every week to each animal of the group. Sensitivity of the symphysis pubis of the group did not recover the initial level and completely negative at the fifth week. After 10 days following the series of injection of relaxin, 1.5 mg of progesterone was injected daily for a period of 8 days. The injection of progesterone caused the symphysial relaxation in all animals of the control group, but not at all in the relaxin injected group.
These results show that repeated injection of relaxin even if during a comparatively short period induced an acquisition of resistance to relaxin.
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