Ultrastructural effects of testosterone on epiphyseal cartilage.

Abstract

Although experimental and clinical experience indicates that large doses of testosterone lead to premature cessation of growth, the exact mechanism and precise site of action of this hormone on the growth apparatus of long bones remain unknown. In this study, plateaued male rats were injected with supraphysiologic doses of testosterone to observe the submicroscopic effects on the various zones of the epiphyseal cartilage. In the zone of cell division there were increased numbers of dividing cells. The maturing cells accumulated larger amounts of secretory products at earlier stages of their life cycle, and appeared to undergo a more abrupt hypertrophy. In the zone of prehypertrophy, the interterritorial matrix contained foci of early and premature calcification and thicker and longer collagen fibers than at comparable levels in controls. It is concluded that in intact animals, even large doses of testosterone initially cause a stimulation of chondrocyte proliferation, prior to promoting maturation processes.