Influence of oestradiol 3-benzoate upon the plasma content of calcium and vitamin A aldehydes in the Cod, Gadus morhua

Abstract

Studies made on the cod of the Barents Sea showed that in the adult female fish there were regular seasonal variations in the level of calcium and vitamin A aldehydes in the blood (Plack & Woodhead, 1966: Woodhead, 1968). These changes were directly related to each other (Woodhead & Plack, 1968) and it was suggested that the changes of both blood constituents might be influenced by oestrogen secretions from the ripening ovary. It has now been confirmed that oestradiol treatment increases the level of vitamin A1 aldehyde in immature cod (Plack & Pritchard, 1968), and the present paper describes the effect of oestrogen treatment on the concentration of calcium in the plasma, also relating this to vitamin A aldehyde changes.