THE UPTAKE AND DISTRIBUTION OF 14C-CLOMIPHENE CITRATE IN DIFFERENT ORGANS OF NEWBORN FEMALE GUINEA PIGS
ABSTRACT Newborn female guinea pigs received a single subcutaneous injection of 150 μg 14C-clomiphene/l00 g body weight. At different time intervals after clomiphene administration the radioactivity was measured in the cerebral cortex, hypothalamic region, pituitary, ovary, liver, adrenal gland and uterus. As early as 1 hour after injection 14C-activity was detectable in all the organs examined. Corresponding to the well-known anti-oestrogenic and oestrogen-like activities of clomiphene, the oestrogenresponsive tissues of the hypothalamic region, pituitary and uterus indicated a high affinity for this compound. Compared with the cerebral cortex, these organs showed a 2- to 7-fold incorporation of 14C-radioactivity 3 hours after the injection. In the uterus a rather constant 14Clevel was maintained during a period of 25 hours. A high uptake and retention of the labelled compound were also detectable in the liver and the adrenal gland. The ovary has the capacity to accumulate a large amount of the 14C-labelled substance. But this ability is only demonstrable during the first 6 hours after clomiphene administration; after this the 14C-activity decreases rapidly, like the 14C-level in the blood plasma. The relevance of this result for the direct effect of clomiphene on ovarian stereoidogenesis is discussed. Furthermore the distribution of l4C-clomiphene was studied in the nuclear, mitochondrial and microsomal fraction and in the particle free supernatant of the above mentioned organs.