Castration and the growth of muscles in the rat.

Abstract

THE endocrine secretions of the testis influence the growth of certain muscles of the guinea pig out of proportion to the body weight (Papanicolaou and Falk, 1938; Kochakian, Humm and Bartlett, 1948; Scow and Roe, 1953; Kochakian et al., unpublished). Since this phenomenon is I an expression of the protein anabolic effect of androgens (Kochakian, 1946), it seemed that a similar phenomenon might be evident in the rat (Kochakian, 1950; Kochakian et al., 1950). PROCEDURE Rats of the Sprague-Dawley strain were castrated at 36–40 days of age. They were maintained in individual cages in an air-conditioned room kept at 25.5–26.6°C. and with constant artificial light 12 hours per day. They were fed ad libitum a prepared mixture in parts per 100 consisting of casein 16.7, yeast (Fleischmann's 2019) 9.2, sucrose 61.2, hydrogenated vegetable oil 7.4, celluflour 1.8, and Wesson's salts 3.7. In addition a daily supplement of one drop of cod liver oil (Patch's) and one drop of 34% tocopherol concentrate from wheat germ...