A CHROMATOGRAPHIC STUDY OF SOME CONVERSION PRODUCTS OF ESTRONE-16-C14IN THE URINE AND FECES OF THE LAYING HEN

Abstract

Estrone-16-C14was administered intravenously to a laying hen. The urine excreted during the succeeding 24 hours contained, on the basis of chromatographic evidence, the following radioactive conversion products of estrone: estriol, 16-epiestriol, 17-epiestriol, 16-oxoestradiol-17 β, estradiol-17 β, and 16-oxoestrone. Three other minor conversion products were not identified. 16-Oxoestradiol and 16-oxoestrone were characterized more fully by chromatographic examination of their sodium borohydride reduction products.In a second experiment, urine and feces excreted during the first two 24-hour periods after administration of estrone-16-C14were examined separately for radioactive conversion products. Of the radioactivity injected, 24.5% was recovered in the estrogen-containing extracts of the excreta. The urinary extracts contained 69% of the recovered radioactivity and the fecal extracts contained 31%.In a third experiment, recoveries of urinary metabolites after enzymatic and after acidic hydrolysis were compared. The recovery after acidic hydrolysis was approximately two-thirds of that recovered after enzymatic hydrolysis. Most of this loss could be accounted for by destruction of 16-oxoestrone and a minor unidentified metabolite during acidic hydrolysis. The distribution of the conversion products on the urinary chromatogram confirmed the results of the previous experiments.None of the experiments gave any evidence for the presence of 2-methoxyestrone, estradiol-170α, equilin, or equilenin.