Inhibition of induced ovulation by a highly purified extract of the bovine pineal gland

Summary A highly purified extract of the bovine pineal gland was shown to prevent ovulation induced by exogenous go-nadotropin in mice. The potency of this extract may be expressed thusly: The active material obtained from approximately one gram of defatted tissue would inhibit ovulation in 2 mice. Immature female mice were made to ovulate by administration of PMS and HCG. When the extract was administered simultaneously with the HCG, ovulation was completely inhibited. The isolation procedure used affects complete separation of this fraction from indolic substances and vasotocin, which are known to possess some antigonadotropic properties. This study was supported in part by a grant from J. M. Long, President and Founder of Longs Drug Stores, Inc., Walnut Creek, California. The Sandoz Pharmaceutical Co. of Basel, Switzerland generously supplied synthetic 8-ar-ginine vasotocin.