Some effects of testosterone, 5 α-dihydrotestosterone, and 5 α-androstane-3 α, 17 β-diol on the morphology of the rabbit epididymis and prostate

Abstract

The morphology of the posterior prostate and cauda epididymidis of the rabbit has been investigated after castration and after castration and hormone replacement with testosterone, 5α-dihydrotestosterone, or 5α-androstane-3α, 17β-diol. Castration caused severe involution of the epithelium in both the prostate and epididymis but hormone replacement with testosterone preserved the fine structure similar to intact controls. Although 5α-dihydrotestosterone and 5α-androstane-3α, 17β-diol maintained the presence of secretory granules in the apical cytoplasm of cells in the posterior prostate, they did not preserve the highly infolded nature of the nuclear envelope characteristic of the nucleus of intact controls. In the cauda epididymidis 5α-dihydrotestosterone induced extensive development of smooth endoplasmic reticulum throughout the principal cells but 5α-androstane-3α, 17β-diol had comparatively little effect; in animals treated with the latter androgen the epididymis was similar to that of castrated controls.