The connective tissue reaction around implanted pellets of steroid hormones.

It is established that cortisone and hydrocortisone may prevent inflammation but their precise mode of action remains unknown. Therefore, it is desirable to examine the histological modifications which these hormones elicit in connective tissue under varied experimental conditions. This investigation has two objectives, the first being to compare the changes which occur in connective tissue surrounding implanted pellets of cortisone with those which appear near implanted pellets of other steroid substances. A second aim was to study the effect of subcutaneously injected adrenocortical and gonadal hormones on the foreign body reaction elicited by implanted pellets of cholesterol. The first objective is particularly important because implantation of pellets is a potentially useful method of administering cortisone or hydrocortisone in clinical therapy.