Ontogeny of the production of an estrogen-regulated eosinophil chemotactic factor in the rat uterus.

The ontogeny of an estrogen-induced eosinophil chemotactic activity in the uterus after estrogen administration and its regulation by progesterone was studied in neonatal rats at 3, 7, 10, and 13 days of age. These results were compared with the increase in peroxidase activity and the secretion of complement component C3 by the uterus. No chemotactic activity was observed in animals younger than 14 days, and after this age the estrogen regulation of the response was also prevented by the co-administration of progesterone. The secretion of complement C3 appeared earlier, at 10 days of age. It was also observed that the uterus of 3-7-day-old rats responded to estrogen by increasing the secretion of two proteins of 36 and 110 kDa. No further regulation or synthesis was observed with increasing age for these two proteins.