Male Accessory Sex Organs Research Articles

The influence of testosterone on penetration of alpha-aminoisobutyric acid and 2-deoxyglucose in male rat sex accessory tissues.

Cellular penetration of α-aminoisobutyric acid and of 2-deoxyglucose was measured in sex accesory tissues of the castrated male rat 3 to 18 h after a single intravenous injection of testosterone. The hormone had no significant effect on water content or extracellular (inulin) volumes over 18 h in ventral prostate, seminal vesicle and levator ani muscle. α-Aminoisobutyric acid distribution in prostate and seminal vesicle was increased significantly 6 (but not 3) h after testosterone injection and the tissues were concentrating α-aminoisobutyric acid against a concentration gradient by the 18th h; levator ani was not affected until the 12th h. The hormone did not stimulate uptake of 2-deoxyglucose in vivo except in levator ani at h 18. Pretreatment with testosterone for 12 h caused significant increases in α-aminoisobutyric acid uptake in all tissues over a 60-min incubation period; 2-deoxyglucose vitro also was taken up in larger amounts, and against a gradient, in all hormone-treated tissues except levator ani. In each tissue in vitro, the increased α-aminoisobutyric acid distribution due to testosterone was reduced to or below controls by low temperature (20°; Q10 of 1.9 to 2.0), anoxia or the absence of Na, and by the presence of dinitrophenol, ouabain or alanine. The accumulation of 2-deoxyglucose in vitro after hormone pretreatment was depressed below untreated controls in the presence of glucose or phlorizin. From these experiments it may be concluded that within 6 or 12 h of injection, testosterone increased cellular penetration of a model amino acid and a hexose sugar in male sex accessory organs. The process requires energy, is sodium dependent and apparently utilizes carrier systems in common with natural substrates. The temporal and causal relationships between these events and hormone-stimulated metabolism are discussed.

Evaluation of the effect of androgen administration on the maintenance of the individual

Clinically, it is not rare that androgens, especially testosterone and its derivatives, are administered to aged men. However, there is no evident indication that testosterone has a beneficial effect on a prolongation of the human life span. Little work has been done to study biological effects of adrenal androgens from a point of view of the maintenance of individual. For the purpose of investigating of biological effects of adrenal androgen and its metabolism, studies were made on effects of administration of dehydroepiandrosterone acetate (DHA-Ac) and DHA-3H (DHA-T), alone or combined, in postmenopausal women, and adrenalectomized or hypophysectomized female rats. Injections of DHA-Ac, 50 mg in oil solutions, were given subcutaneously into postmenopausal women, and a single dose of 20 pc of DHA-T was injected. Approximately 50 per cent of the radioactivity was excreted in the urine during 5 to 6 days in all subject. Ten to 20 per cent of administered DHA was excreted in the urine as 17-KS. It was observed that in several subjects cumulative amounts of increased 17-KS were only 5 per cent of injected DHA, and it is suggested that consumption and catabolism of administered DHA extremely accelerate and that administration of DHA or adrenal androgens may induce beneficial effects in these cases. Radioactivity and Zimmermann chromogen in 17-KS were remarkably increased in III, IV and V fractions after administration of DHA. It was proposed that sum of III, IV and V fractions of 17-KS is styled adrenal fraction' in female. No increase of urinary estrogen level was induced by administration of DHA in postmenopausal women.Female Wistar strain rats (litter-sister) were divided in to six groups. Bilaterally total adrenalectomy was performed in 5groups and one per cent saline were supplied. Of these adrenalectomized groups, three groups were given daily injections of desoxycorticosterone acetate (DOC) and treated with either DHA, or cortisol (COL), or the combination of DHA and COL. The remaining three groups served as controls, i.e. adrenalectomized control groups treated with or without DOC, and a non-adrenalectomized normal control group. After 2 weeks animals were sacrificed and autopsy was performed. After the removal of the intestinal organs, the skin and fat were removed from the muscles. The skeleton with muscles and the skin with fat were weighed, respectively, and then dried at 100°C for 48 hrs, and weighed again. Administration of DHA to adrenalectomized female rats did induce an increase in body weight and in weight of both wet and dried carcasses. The increases in DHA-treated group were higher than those of non-adrenalectomized controls under this experimental conditions. Hypertrophy of the liver was greatest in DHA-and DHA-COL-treated groups. The weight and protein content of the kidney were higher in DHA-treated group. No significant differences were observed in the heart or brain. The myotrophic activity of DHA was observed to be about 37% of that of testosterone propionate (TP) and DHA has about 1.7% of the activity of TP on the male rat accessory sex organ. DHA induced hypertrophy of the liver in hypophysectomized female rats.Evaluation of administration of DHA and adrenal androgen was discussed from a point of view of the maintenance of individual.

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON DIABETES IN UROLOGY

The biological, biochemical and histo-pathological studies were performed on the hypophysealadrenal system, testes and the other male accessory sex organs of the experimental diabetic rabbits. Seventy alloxan diabetic rabbits, in total, were obtained by the injection of alloxan monohydrate for the period of 1 to 25 weeks.The summarized results were as follows;1) The average weight of the adrenals was significantly increased by the administration of alloxan, but, on the contrary, the mean weight of the testes was decreased.2) The pituitary gonadotropic potency was considerably decreased. Another interesting fact was that the ratio of F. S. H. (follicle stimulating hormone) and L. H. (luteinizing hormone=I. C. S. H.; interstitial cell stimulating hormone) concentration was changed beyond the physiological limits.3) The cholesterol content in adrenal glands were increased during the initial 5 weeks after the alloxan administration, and then it showed a steady decline for long time.4) The adrenal ascorbic acid content was varied parallel with the change in the weight of the adrenals and testes.5) The testicular damage was the most prominent in seminal-tubules. Spermatozoa were, however, recognized in seminal-tubules more frequently than expected.6) No remarkable changes were observed in the seminal tubules, seminal vesicles, and prostate, while slight edema of the interstitial tissue were recognized.