Effects of gonadectomy and sex hormone administration on accessory reproductive organs of protein-deficient rats.

Abstract

SummaryInvolution of accessory reproductive organs of male rats fed a 0% protein diet was accentuated by gonadectomy, attesting to residual testis function in intact protein-depleted rats. Sex accessories of gonadectomized protein-deficient rats responded to the same low levels of estradiol benzoate or testosterone propionate effective in gonadectomized control animals, indicating that sensitivity of these organs to exogenous hormone was unaffected by the diet. A subnormal response of accessory organs to high doses of testosterone was noted, however, in male protein-deficient rats.