Abstract
Summary
The oviducts of non-pregnant intact rabbits, castrates and mated rabbits 16-72 hours after coitus were studied in the Warburg apparatus. In the intact, non-pregnant group, O2 uptake was essentially the same in Krebs-Ringer phosphate solution (K.R.p.) alone. K.R.p. with glucose and K.R.p. with fructose. It was increased 2-fold by addition of succinate. Lactic acid production was substantially higher in glucose than in fructose or in K.R.p. alone. At the end of 2 hours, glucose uptake was 50.7 ± S.E. 4.3 μg/mg dry weight of tissue and lactic acid production was 24.9 ± S.E. 1.4 μg mg dry weight of tissue. Under anaerobic conditions virtually all of the glucose taken up could be accounted for as lactic acid. In castrates, O2 uptake in various media and glucose uptake were not significantly different from those observed in intact, non-pregnant animals, but lactic acid output in glucose was higher. Among mated animals O2 uptake was similar, and it did not vary significantly among specimens studied from 16-72 hours after mating. Lactic acid production in glucose was increased in the third 24-hour period following mating (p<0.01), indicating an increased utilization of anaerobic pathways during this interval.
The authors are indebted to John C. Bailar, III, for statistical analysis.
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