THE EFFECTS OF FEEDING COUMESTROL ON THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS OF PREPUBERTAL LAMBS

Abstract

Coumestrol and estradiol were fed to prepubertal ewe lambs for 12 days. The level of coumestrol fed relative to estradiol was estimated from the relative binding affinities of the uterine cytosol estrogen receptors to be the biologically effective amount. The effects of coumestrol treatment were increased uterine weight and decreased ovarian weight and follicular development. There was a relationship between uterine weight and exchanged tritiated estradiol bound to the endometrial cell nuclear pellet.