THE OCCURRENCE OF ESTROGENIC SUBSTANCES IN THE OVARIES OF ECHINODERMS

The ovaries of the species Lytechinus variegatus were used for testing purposes and the extraction procedure was essentially that described by Allen and Doisy3 involving repe...

Abstract

Although it has become increasingly evident that estrogenic substances are widely distributed in nature,1 the search for such substances in the gonads of marine forms has only recently been inaugurated. Extracts of the ovaries of the swordfish have been shown to contain demonstrable quantities of what appears to be the female sex hormone.2 With the object of determining whether or not the gonads of marine forms of a lower order also contained estrogens, the present investigation was carried out. Experimental. The ovaries of the species Lytechinus variegatus were used for testing purposes. The echinoderms were collected from the waters of Bermuda during the breeding season (August) at which time the ovaries were swollen with ripe follicles. The ovaries were dissected out, thoroughly ground in a mortar, and placed in separate containers of 90 per cent ethyl alcohol. Extraction was done in Charleston late in September. The extraction procedure was essentially that described by Allen and Doisy3 involving repeated extractions with 95 per cent alcohol, concentration by distillation, followed by repeated extractions with ether and subsequent concentration.