Correlations between adenohypophyseal weight, serum polyphenol oxidase activity (ceruloplasmin) and hypothalamic ascorbic acid after estrogen treatment in rats.

Serum polyphenol oxidase activity (ceruloplasmin) and the hypothalamic ascorbic acid concentration were determined in control rats and rats given estradiol for 2-6 months. A significant positive correlation (r = 0.5948, p less than 0.001) was found between adenohypophyseal weight and the ceruloplasmin level and a negative correlation between adenohypophyseal weight and the ascorbic acid concentration in the hypothalamus (r = -0.5728, p less than 0.01) and between the hypothalamus ascorbic acid concentration and the ceruloplasmin level (r = -0.7059, p less than 0.01). The ways in which an increase in serum polyphenol oxidase activity might modulate the adenohypophyseal reaction to estradiol are discussed.