Effect of estrogen on rate of 59Fe uptake by hemopoietic tissue in Japanese quail.

Injection of 2 mg estradiol valerate into male Japanese quail caused the rate of 59Fe uptake by the skeleton to drop 70% within 48 h. This phenomenon was due to an increase in the iron-binding capacity of the plasma induced by estrogen that caused a substantial decline in the availability of the label for hematopoiesis and to partial inhibition of hematopoiesis by estrogen directly. The changes in 59Fe uptake induced by estrogen were accompanied by a significant drop in circulating red blood cell concentration and a substantial rise in plasma volume. These altered physiological conditions were similar to those normally found in the laying hen.