Effect of dose of estradiol and age of animals on intranuclear inclusions in mammotrophs of the Mongolian gerbil

Abstract

Intranuclear inclusions have been examined in mammotrophs of the Mongolian gerbil. No inclusions were identified in nuclei of newborn females, although inclusions were seen in the pituitary gland of young mature females. The number of inclusions in retired breeders was similar to that in young females. Estradiol benzoate increased the number of inclusions, although 10 mug/day for 5 or 14 days induced more inclusions than 5 or 100 mug for 14 days; significantly fewer inclusions were seen with the higher dose (2.81 +/- 0.10 inclusions per field for 10 mug and 2.19 +/- 0.01 inclusions for 100 mug). Significantly fewer inclusions were present at 3 and 4 weeks. The reduced number of inclusions may be attributable at least in part to cellular hypertrophy of mammotrophs which was especially prominent. Vacuolar inclusions predominated at 3 and 4 weeks and there were fewer membranous types than at previous times.