STEROIDS AND OTHER LIPIDS OF PREGNANT COW'S URINE

Abstract

SUMMARY 1. Pregnant cow's urine was hydrolysed with acid, and the lipid material obtained was submitted to the fractionation procedures customary in the study of urinary steroids. 2. Oestrone (0·3 mg/1.) and oestradiol-17α (0·1 mg/1.) were isolated from the phenolic fraction. Oestradiol-17β could not be detected. 3. The heterocyclic phenol equol isoflavan-7:4′-diol) was also isolated (6 mg/1.). 4. The neutral non-ketonic fraction contained 5β-androstane-3α: 17α-diol (0·2 mg/1.) and 5α-androstane-3β:17α-diol. A very small quantity of material resembling 5β-pregnane-3α:20α-diol (the common 'pregnanediol' of human pregnancy urine) was isolated but not satisfactorily identified. 5. The volatile part of this fraction contained two tetrahydroionanediols A and B. 6. The neutral non-volatile ketonic fraction was small (0·6 mg/1.). Three α-17-oxosteroids were tentatively identified. 7. The results are discussed in relation to the routes of steroid excretion in cows, and in relation to the determination of steroids in animal urines.