Changes in Weight of Thyroid Gland of Guinea Pigs Under the Influence of Acid Extract of Anterior Pituitary.

Abstract

Loeb, Bassett, and Hilda Friedman1, 2, 3 have shown that intraperitoneal injections of acid or alkali extracts of the anterior pituitary of cattle cause in the guinea pig a remarkable hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the thyroid gland associated with liquefaction and absorption of colloid. Martin Silberberg4 has studied the combined effect of KI and this extract on the thyroid gland and W. J. Siebert5 has determined the effect of various preparations of the anterior pituitary gland on the basal metabolism under various conditions. In our former investigations we used as a criterion of hypertrophy the microscopic changes in the thyroid gland after anterior pituitary injections. The thyroid glands of the injected animals appeared distinctly larger than the normal thyroids.We sought to determine the changes in weight of the thyroid glands produced by these preparations, in order to obtain quantitative data as to the intensity of the hypertrophy and hyperplasia. We carried out 3 experiments, the results of whic...