A COMPARISON OF LUTEINIZING HORMONE FROM DIFFERENT SPECIES USING THE VENTRAL PROSTATE ASSAY, WITH AND WITHOUT DELAY VEHICLE, AND THE OVARIAN ASCORBIC ACID DEPLETION ASSAY

Abstract

SUMMARY Six luteinizing hormone preparations were studied by the ventral prostate assay using either saline or 5% beeswax in sesame oil as the injection vehicle. The use of 5% beeswax in sesame oil increased the ventral prostate response and a steeper log-dose response curve was obtained with ovine, bovine and rat pituitary preparations. However, the responses given by equine pituitary and equine endometrial or human placental preparations were unaffected by the assay vehicle. When the relative potencies of the six preparations were assayed in terms of the ovine preparation by the ventral prostate assay and the ovarian ascorbic acid depletion assay, the ovine and bovine preparations had similar potencies; whereas the rat, equine and human preparations had apparently higher specific activities when measured by the ventral prostate assay.