GB600658A - Hormone extracts - Google Patents

Abstract

A water-soluble oestrogenically active product effective upon oral administration is obtained by treating unhydrolysed urine of a pregnant mare or stallion with an adsorbent under weakly alkaline or neutral conditions to form an absorbate containing the oestrogenic substance, eluting the resulting adsorbate with an organic nitrogen-containing base with or without water, or with a mixture of chloroform and methyl alcohol under neutral or slightly alkaline conditions to form an extract of the substance, and recovering an aqueous concentrate containing the substance from the extract under neutral or slightly alkaline conditions. Suitable adsorbents are charcoal, calcium triphosphate and Fullers earth. Suitable organic bases are pyridine, aniline, morpholine, quinoline, monoethylamine, n-butylamine, or n-amylamine. According to an example, urine of pregnant mares, preserved by the addition of an alcohol-chloroform mixture, is treated with three successive portions of activated charcoal, the combined charcoal portions are mixed with successive portions of aqueous pyridine, the resulting pyridine extracts are combined and concentrated in vacuo at 40-50 degrees C., and water is added to the concentrate which is then washed successively with benzene and ether, the resulting aqueous concentrate containing the oestrogenically active hormones. A phosphate buffer of pH 7.5 may be added to ensure that the necessary pH conditions are maintained. The procedure of this example may be used in the treatment of stallions' urine, in the use of the other adsorbents or in the use of the other eluting solvents. The aqueous concentrates may be evaporated in vacuo to produce a dry powder.