Androgenの精嚢腺に対するTissue-growth-stimulating-activityについての実験的研究

Abstract

Experimental studies were performed in order to evaluate the tissue-growth-stimulating-activity of androgen on the male adnexal organs in relation to clarify the problems on microdetermination of androgen. The morphological alterations of the seminal vesicle were examined in castrated or hypophysectomized male young rats following administrations of various doses of testosterone propionate (TP), four kinds of steroids, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA), 44-androstene-3, 17-dione (44-A-dione), androstanolone (ADS) and progesterone (Frog.), or serum obtained from patients with AGS. Th e results are summarized as follows. 1) In both of castrated and hyp o physectomized rats the weight and epithelial height of the seminal vesicle increased following administration of TP in positive proportion to the dosage and duration of the administration. 2) Particularly i n the rats given a small quantity of TP the alteration of the epithelial height was distinctly predominant to the change of weight. This means that the cytologically recognized effect of androgen on its target organ displays very sensitively and acutely with a small quantity of dose and preceeds the effect on weight. 3) All of the 4 steroids administered showed T GSA on the seminal vesicle. The intensity of androgenic activity of these steroids was in the following order ; ADS>DHA-.44-A-dione > Prog. 4) Both of sera from patients with AGS and normal adult men seemed to possess very weak androgenic activity which barely prevented atrophy of the seminal vesicle of the castrated and hypophysectomized rats. 5) It will be concluded that the epithelia of the seminal vesicle shows very quick and sensitive morphological response to androgen. This fact will give us suggestions on the methods for detection of androgenic activity of various steroids having apparent low biological activity, as well as for biological microdetermination of adrenal androgen which has been difficult to measure.