Effects of Estrogen and Thyroxine Upon Plasma Proteins and Blood Volume in the Fowl*

COMMONet al. (1947 and 1948) and Fleischmann and Fried (1945) demonstrated that estrogen administration to chickens increased the serum calcium, phosphoproteins, lipids, liver fat, and liver protein, but these increases were prevented when thyroxine was administered with the estrogen. McDonald et al. (1945) reported similar results in the pigeon. None of these workers, however, studied the effects of the hormones on the individual plasma protein components, albumin and globulin. Mandel et al. (1947) showed that in the pigeon the increase in total plasma proteins resulting from estrogen administration was mainly in the albumin fraction. Common et al. also reported that crude blood volume in the fowl (determined by the exsanguination technique) was increased by estrogens. It is known that this technique is subject to great error. The object of this study was to determine the effects of estrogen and thyroxine upon plasma albumin and globulin and blood volume of the fowl.