MELATONIN ON ENDOCRINE DNA CHANGES IN FEMALE RATS AT INCREASING AGES
ABSTRACT Sixty female Sprague-Dawley-Rolfsmeyer rats were divided equally into three groups, twenty in each group at 25 days of age. One half of each group serving as controls received saline, the other half received 100 ftg melatonin/100 g body weight at 25, 35. and 45 days of age, for 10 days. They were killed 24 hours after the last injection. Pituitaries. ovaries, uteri, adrenals and thyroids were collected and weighed. DNA determination by the method described by Webb Se Levy (1955) was used for ovaries, uteri and adrenals only. Pituitary weight was not affected much by the treatment of melatonin. Thyroid weight increased: adrenals, ovaries and uterine weight decreased gradually up to 55 days in melatonin treated group as compared to the control. Ovarian total DNA increased significantly at 35 days of age, but significantly decreased at 45 and 55 days of age in melatonin treated group as compared to the corresponding controls. No difference in total DNA in adrenals was found in melatonin treated animals as compared to control group at any age. The total DNA of the uteri increased 29 % at 35 days of age but decreased at 55 days of age by 14%. These data also show that the DNA/mg of endocrine glands dry fat free tissue decreased with increasing age suggesting a reduction in functional cells per unit weight in older animals.