Inductive influence of testosterone upon central sexual maturation in the rat

Development ◽  
1967 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-175
Author(s):  
W. N. Adams Smith ◽  
M. T. Peng

The influence of the testis and of testosterone upon the development of the male genitalia has been extensively investigated and a number of reviews of this work have been published (Jost, 1960; Burns, 1961). However, Witschi (1957) has stressed the need to distinguish between adult sex hormones, such as testosterone, and the secretions of the immature gonad. The formation of corpora lutea in the ovaries transplanted to adult male rats which had been castrated at birth, and the absence of corpus luteum formation in ovaries transplanted to male hosts bearing transplanted testes in the neck from birth, was reported by Pfeiffer in 1936. Similar observations have been reported by Yazaki (1960) and Harris (1964). A single injection of testosterone propionate has been found to lead to permanent sterility and a loss of corpus luteum formation in the ovaries of mice (Barraclough & Leathern, 1954) and rats (Barraclough, 1961).

Development ◽  
1967 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
W. N. Adams Smith

Pfeiffer (1935, 1936) reported the induction of constant oestrus in female rats following the transplantation of testes from litter-mate males just after birth and noted that the ovaries of these animals did not contain corpora lutea. These changes remained after removal of the testis transplants. The same effects were obtained by Bradbury (1941) following the administration of multiple doses of testosterone propionate. Barraclough & Leathern (1954) found that a single injection of 1 mg of testosterone propionate at 5 days of age led to permanent sterility in female mice, with no corpus luteum formation in their ovaries. Similar results were obtained in rats by Barraclough (1961) with the administration of a single injection of 1·25 mg of testosterone propionate. This permanent change in ovarian function does not appear to be a direct effect upon the ovary (Bradbury, 1941).


1964 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. E. Swanson ◽  
J. J. van der Werff ten Bosch

ABSTRACT The interaction between dose and time of administration of testosterone propionate (TP) on the development of sexual function was studied by giving a single dose of 5, 10, 50 or 500 μg TP to young rats of both sexes on the day of birth (day 1) or on day 2, 4 or 5. The effectiveness of androgen administration before birth was studied by giving a single injection of 2500 μg TP to pregnant rats on day 19 to 22 after conception. Pre-natal administration had no effect on the function of the ovaries of female offspring, although the dose was sufficient to cause masculinization of the external genitalia. The weight of the testes and accessories of the male offspring were not affected. The effects of post-natal TP administration on ovarian function varied with the dose and with the time of administration. Threshold doses (5 and 10 μg) were more effective the earlier they were given after birth. With these small doses, most of the rats had normal luteinized ovaries at 10 weeks and were able to bear and suckle normal litters. Some time later ovulations ceased so that at 21 weeks they were no longer fertile; at 27 weeks there were no more corpora lutea in the ovaries. In males, a dose of 50 μg of TP or more resulted in permanently reduced weight of testes, seminal vesicles and prostate. The earlier the treatment, the more marked was the depression of weight. From these results and others reported in the literature the following deductions can be made: (1) the critical period of brain sensitivity to physiological amounts of androgen probably lies between days 4 and 6 (day of birth counted as day 1); (2) a rough estimate of the amount of androgen secreted by the newborn male rat during the critical period would seem to be the equivalent of a single injection of 5–50 μg TP; (3) after the physiological critical period has elapsed a female rat can still be »masculinized« if a high dose of TP is given, up to a period of between 10–20 days after birth.


1964 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. E. Swanson ◽  
J. J. van der Werff ten Bosch

ABSTRACT The »early-androgen« syndrome in the rat – i. e. anovulatory ovaries in adult females after a single injection of testosterone propionate (TP) within a week of birth – may not become apparent until some time after the attainment of sexual maturity. Large doses (50 or 100 μg) of TP were effective earlier than lower doses (5 or 10 μg). Rats which received 5 μg TP were ovulating at 10 weeks of age, mated but were infertile at 13 weeks of age, and were anovulatory at 21 weeks. In rats between 10 and 13 weeks old there was a marked fall in the number of corpora lutea in the ovaries of animals which had been given 5 μg TP. Hemi-spaying was followed by compensatory growth of the remaining ovary which consisted of corpora lutea in ovulating, and of follicles in anovulatory rats; little or no compensatory weight increase occurred in animals which seemed to be in the transition stage from the ovulatory to the anovulatory condition.


1979 ◽  
Vol 180 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Coral A. Lamartiniere ◽  
Cindy S. Dieringer ◽  
Etsuko Kita ◽  
George W. Lucier

The hepatic microsomal enzyme UDP-glucuronyltransferase undergoes a complex developmental pattern in which enzyme activity is first detectable on the 18th day of gestation in rats. Prepubertal activities are similar for males and females. However, postpubertal sexual differentiation of enzyme activity occurs in which male activities are twice those of females. Neonatal administration of testosterone propionate or diethylstilboestrol to intact animals resulted in lowered UDP-glucuronyltransferase activity in liver microsomal fractions of adult male rats, whereas no changes were observed in the adult females and prepubertal male and female animals. Neonatal administration of testosterone propionate and diethylstilboestrol adversely affected male reproductive-tract development as evidenced by decreased weights of testes, seminal vesicles and ventral prostate. Diethylstilboestrol also markedly decreased spermatogenesis. Hypophysectomy of adult male rats resulted in negative modulation of microsomal UDP-glucuronyltransferase and prevented the sexual differentiation of enzyme activity. In contrast hypophysectomy had no effect on female UDP-glucuronyltransferase activity. A pituitary transplant under the kidney capsule was not capable of reversing the enzyme effects of hypophysectomy, therefore suggesting that the male pituitary factor(s) responsible for positive modulation of UDP-glucuronyltransferase might be under hypothalamic control in the form of a releasing factor. Neonatal testosterone propionate and diethylstilboestrol administration apparently interfered with the normal sequence of postpubertal UDP-glucuronyltransferase sexual differentiation.


1972 ◽  
Vol 50 (5) ◽  
pp. 597-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarojam K. Mankau ◽  
Raymond Hamilton

Male hooded rats infected with Trichinella spiralis larvae had three times more larvae in the muscles than females. Gonadectomized males injected with stilbestrol had a lower worm burden than normal males. Gonadectomized females injected with testosterone propionate harbored far more worms than normal females. Stilbestrol administered to normal male rats caused a marked decrease in T. spiralis, while testosterone administered to normal females resulted in a significant increase in the number of parasites.


1974 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. F. PARROTT

SUMMARY The ability of 19-hydroxytestosterone propionate (150 μg/day) to maintain sexual behaviour, accessory organ weights and the number of penile spines in experienced adult male rats in the 5 weeks after castration was compared with intact males and castrated animals receiving testosterone propionate (75 μg/day) or oil treatment. In a second experiment a group of male rats receiving dihydrotestosterone propionate (150 μg/day) was also included. 19-Hydroxytestosterone did not maintain ejaculatory performance but animals that ejaculated had refractory periods similar to those in intact and testosterone-treated groups. Dihydrotestosterone, however, slowed the rate of decline of ejaculatory performance but the refractory periods were comparable to those in castrated controls. The former action of dihydrotestosterone was attributed to its stimulatory effect on peripheral structures, especially the penile spines. 19-Hydroxytestosterone was shown to have no peripheral effect at doses up to 1800 μg every other day. The results are discussed in terms of a theory of testosterone action involving aromatization in the brain and 5α-reduction peripherally.


1968 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 697-700 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Brown-Grant

The changes observed in the metabolism of radioiodide and radiophosphorus by the thyroid gland of intact adult male rats following a single injection of estradiol benzoate (4 μg/100 g body weight) are consistent with the suggestion (F. Labrie, G. Pelletier, and C. Fortier. Federation Proc. 26, 484 (1967). Abstr.) that at this dose level estrogen causes a hypersecretion of TSH in such animals.


2002 ◽  
Vol 368 (3) ◽  
pp. 783-788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noriaki SHIBATA ◽  
Junya MATSUMOTO ◽  
Ken NAKADA ◽  
Akira YUASA ◽  
Hiroshi YOKOTA

Various adverse effects of endocrine disruptors on the reproductive organs of male animals have been reported. We found that UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) activities towards bisphenol A, testosterone and oestradiol were significantly decreased in liver microsomes prepared from adult male Wistar rats administered with the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (1mg/2 days for 2 or 4 weeks). However, suppression of the transferase activities was not observed in female rats, even after bisphenol A treatment for 4 weeks. Diethylstilbestrol, which is well known as an endocrine disruptor, had the same effects, but p-cumylphenol had no effect on UGT activities towards sex hormones. Co-administration of an anti-oestrogen, tamoxifen, inhibited the suppression of the transferase activities by bisphenol A. Western blotting analysis showed that the amount of UGT2B1, an isoform of UGT which glucuronidates bisphenol A, was decreased in the rat liver microsomes by the treatment. Northern blotting analysis also indicated that UGT2B1 mRNA in the liver was decreased by bisphenol A treatment. The suppression of UGT activities, UGT2B1 protein and UGT2B1 mRNA expression did not occur in female rats. The results indicate that bisphenol A treatment reduces the mRNA expression of UGT2B1 and other UGT isoforms that mediate the glucuronidation of sex hormones in adult male rats, and this suggests that the endocrine balance may be disrupted by suppression of glucuronidation.


1985 ◽  
Vol 106 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-NP ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Watanabe ◽  
K. Taya ◽  
S. Sasamoto

ABSTRACT The present study was undertaken to determine whether hypothalamic differentiation is involved in the selective release of FSH during the periovulatory period using adult male rats castrated and implanted with an ovary. Adult male rats (70–90 days old) were castrated and an ovary obtained from a prepubertal female rat (26 days old) was immediately grafted subcutaneously. Four weeks later, human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG, 10 i.u.) was injected i.v. into the experimentally manipulated rats to induce ovulatory changes in the grafted ovaries. Another group of similarly prepared rats was injected with 0·9% (w/v) NaCl solution as controls. After injection of hCG, plasma concentrations of FSH increased significantly by 6 h, reached peak values at 12 h and declined to control levels at 36 h. On the other hand, plasma concentrations of LH were reduced by 6 h and decreased further during the next 36 h. An abrupt fall in plasma concentrations of oestradiol-17β occurred within 3 h of the administration of hCG. Histological examination revealed that ovulatory changes and luteinization of follicles were induced in grafted ovaries by 18 h after the injection of hCG. Thirty-six hours after treatment with hCG, a set of newly formed corpora lutea was observed in grafted ovaries and plasma concentrations of progesterone were raised. Treatment with oestradiol-17β did not inhibit the selective release of FSH after the administration of hCG, suggesting that the abrupt decrease in secretion of oestradiol-17β from the grafted ovary is not involved in the occurrence of the FSH surge. These results indicate that a selective release of FSH can be induced in castrated male rats bearing an ovarian transplant probably due to decreased secretion of inhibin by the luteinized follicles in the grafted ovaries. Sex differentiation of the hypothalamus is not, therefore, involved in the selective surge of FSH. J. Endocr. (1985) 106, 31–36


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