Glycogen content in the vaginal tissue of normally cycling and estrogen and progesterone-treated rhesus monkeys.

Abstract

The glycogen concentration of rhesus monkey vaginal tissue was determined quantitatively in immature, cycling, and ovariectomized animals administered different doses of estrogen or estrogen and progesterone. In animals exhibiting normal menstrual cycles, there were no cyclic changes in the vaginal glycogen. When 10 �4g of estradiol benzoate was injected daily for 12 days to ovariectomized animals a 13 to 16-fold increase in the glycogen concentration occurred compared to the immature or ovariectomized animals. Administration of 30 �Lg of estradiol benzoate to castrates produced a maximal glycogen synthesis 24 hr after the administration with a decrease at 48 hr. Amounts of 150 �g of estradiol or 150 �ug of estradiol with 25 mg of progesterone did not significantly increase the concentration of vaginal tissue glycogen. The vaginal epithelium in ovariectomized animals consists of two to three layers, but the epithelium hypertrophies into 30-50 layers as a result of estrogen administration. While small amounts of glycogen can be identified with the electron microscope in the basal cells, glycogen increases markedly in the upper epithelial layers after administration with the greatest concentration found in exfoliating cells.