Glycogen in human peripheral blood leukocytes. 3. Effect of female hormones.

Abstract

The influence of female sex hormones on leucocyte glycogen and leucocyte alkaline phosphatase (LAP) was studied. Leucocyte glycogen was measured with the anthrone reagent on suspensions of peripheral blood leucocytes containing chiefly neutrophiles. LAP was measured histochemically. Normal adult pre‐menopausal females were shown to have significantly greater leucocyte glycogen levels and LAP score than males. Post‐menopausal females had intermediate glycogen levels and no elevation of LAP. During the menstrual cycle, there was a slight rise of leucocyte glycogen and LAP in the midportion of the cycle. In pregnancy LAP rose significantly above normal in the fourth month and leucocyte glycogen in the sixth month. Both had returned to normal 6 weeks after delivery. Leucocytes from cord blood of newborns had elevated LAP scores but normal glycogen levels. In normal females on anovulatory drugs LAP was elevated while leucocyte glycogen was normal. Patients receiving estrogens therapeutically for prostatic carcinoma had significant elevations of both leucocyte glycogen and LAP while similar patients not receiving estrogens had normal values.The results show that female sex hormones, specifically estrogens, can result in elevation of both leucocyte glycogen and LAP.