ON THE ROLE OF CORTICOSTEROID-BINDING GLOBULIN (CBG) IN MODULATING ACTIVITY OF GLUCOCORTICOIDS - DEVELOPMENTAL PATTERNS FOR CBG, CORTICOSTERONE, AND A-FETOPROTEIN LEVELS IN THE RAT SERUM

The levels of corticosterone, corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG), a nd a-fetoprotein (AFP) were measured in the serum of developing rats. It has been shown that the dramatic increase in CBG concentration and the decrease in AFP concentration of the same degree occur in males an d females during the third postnatal week. The considerable rise in co rticosterone level was observed only during 4th postnatal week. The da ta obtained in the study suggest that CBG may be responsible for the e ssential contribution to the developmental rise in glucocorticoid acti vity.