Role of Sex Hormones in Albumen Secretion by the Oviduct of Chickens

Abstract

WHILE it is generally known that the sex steroids can greatly increase the size of the oviduct of immature female chickens it is not clear whether size alone is indicative of physiological maturity and ability of the oviduct to secrete albumen. To determine the role of the steroids in the growth of the duct system and in getting it ready for later albumen secretion was the object of the present paper. Three steroid hormones were used in this study, two of which, estrogen and androgen, are known to be avian hormones with well established physiological and morphological effects on their target tissues. The third steroid used, progesterone, is not usually considered to be a hormone typical of birds, although it is known to have certain physiological effects when injected into chickens.One of the objectives of this study was to determine the role, if any, played by progesterone in stimulating …