Estrogenic substances
Estrogenic substances, sold under the brand name Amniotin among others, is an estrogen medication which was marketed in the 1930s and 1940s and is no longer available.[1][2][3][4][5] It was a purified extract of animal material such as horse urine, placenta, and/or amniotic fluid, and contained a non-crystalline mixture of estrogens, including estrone, 17β-estradiol, 17α-estradiol, and/or equilin.[3][1][6][7][5][8] The medication was thought to contain estrone as its major active ingredient[6] and was described as an estrone-like preparation, or as "essentially estrone".[1][3][5] Estrogenic substances was originally produced from the urine of pregnant women, placenta, and/or amniotic fluid, but by the early 1940s, it was manufactured exclusively from the urine of stallions or pregnant mares, similarly to almost all other estrogen preparations on the market.[7][8][6][1]
![]() Estrone, a major ingredient in estrogenic substances | |
Combination of | |
---|---|
Estrone | Estrogen |
17β-Estradiol | Estrogen |
Equilin | Estrogen |
Clinical data | |
Trade names | Amniotin, Estrogenic Hormones, Estrogenic Substances, Estrolin, Estromone, Folestrin, Follacro, Menformon, Oestroform, Ova-Estrin, Theelestrin, others |
Other names | Estrone-like preparations |
Routes of administration | By mouth (tablets, capsules), topical (ointment), vaginal (suppository), intramuscular injection (oil solution) |
Drug class | Estrogen |
Legal status | |
Legal status |
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Estrogenic substances was marketed under a variety of different brand names including Amniotin (Squibb), Estrogenic Hormones (Upjohn, others), Estrogenic Substances (Reed and Carnrick, others), Estrolin (Lakeside), Estromone, Folestrin (Armour), Follacro (Schieffelin), Menformon (Roche-Organon), Oestroform, Ova-Estrin, and Theelestrin, among others.[1][2][3][4] It was provided in various forms and routes of administration including oil solution for intramuscular injection, oral tablets and capsules, vaginal suppositories, and topical ointments.[2][3][4][1]
Estrogen medications similar to but distinct from estrogenic substances included conjugated estriol (Emmenin) and conjugated estrogens (Premarin).[1] They are also non-crystalline mixtures of estrogens.[1] Estrogenic substances were also distinct from pure crystalline preparations such as estrone, estradiol, estriol, estradiol benzoate, and estradiol dipropionate.[1] The medication should additionally be distinguished from estrogen ovarian extracts, which had little activity and were considered to be essentially inactive.[9][2]
Progynon and Amniotin were both marketed by 1929.[10] Amniotin was originally prepared from the amniotic fluid of cattle, but was later prepared using other sources such as the urine of pregnant mares.[11][8]
References
- "Nomenclature of Endocrine Preparations". Journal of the American Medical Association. 123 (6): 351. 1943. doi:10.1001/jama.1943.02840410033009. ISSN 0002-9955.
- Fluhmann CF (November 1938). "Estrogenic Hormones: Their Clinical Usage". Cal West Med. 49 (5): 362–6. PMC 1659459. PMID 18744783.
- Greene, R.R. (1941). "Endocrine Therapy for Gynecologic Disorders". Medical Clinics of North America. 25 (1): 155–168. doi:10.1016/S0025-7125(16)36624-X. ISSN 0025-7125.
- Fluhmann, C. F. (1944). "Clinical use of extracts from the ovaries". Journal of the American Medical Association. 125 (1): 1. doi:10.1001/jama.1944.02850190003001. ISSN 0002-9955.
- Reifenstein, Edward C. (1944). "Endocrinology: A Synopsis of Normal and Pathologic Physiology, Diagnostic Procedures, and Therapy". Medical Clinics of North America. 28 (5): 1232–1276. doi:10.1016/S0025-7125(16)36180-6. ISSN 0025-7125.
- David Preswick Barr (1940). Modern Medical Therapy in General Practice. William & Wilkins Company.
Complex Estrogenic Preparations. 1. Amniotin (Squibb). This is a highly purified but not crystalline preparation derived from pregnant mares' urine. The chief active ingredient is apparently ketohydroxyestrin (estrone).
- Glandular Physiology and Therapy. American Medical Association. 1935. p. 480.
Amniotin, E. R. Squibb & Sons: This is an estrogenic preparation originally derived from amniotic fluid; it is not reduced to the crystalline state during manufacture. More recently, according to the firm, the urine of pregnant mares has served as an added source of active material.
- McCullagh EP (1935). "The Management of Functional Menstrual Disorders". Cleveland Clinic Quarterly. 2 (4): 52–64.
- Novak, Emil (1935). "The Therapeutic Use of Estrogenic Substances". JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association. 104 (20): 1815. doi:10.1001/jama.1935.92760200002012. ISSN 0098-7484.
- The Female Sex Hormone. C.C. Thomas. 1929. p. 276.
- Biskind, Morton S. (1935). "Commercial glandular products". Journal of the American Medical Association. 105 (9): 667. doi:10.1001/jama.1935.92760350007009a. ISSN 0002-9955.