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THE ACTION OF SOME ANDROGENIC SUBSTANCES ON THE IMMATURE FEMALE RAT AND GUINEA‐PIG
Author(s) -
Groome J. R.
Publication year - 1939
Publication title -
quarterly journal of experimental physiology and cognate medical sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.925
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1469-445X
pISSN - 0033-5541
DOI - 10.1113/expphysiol.1939.sp000815
Subject(s) - testosterone propionate , clitoris , endocrinology , medicine , uterus , muscle hypertrophy , testosterone (patch) , ovary , biology , guinea pig , organ culture , hormone , anatomy , androgen , in vitro , biochemistry
The Intact Rat . Six immature female rats injected with 500γ Testosterone propionate daily for 8 days showed on the 9th day: 1. An abnormal increase in body weight, not due to fat deposits. 2. The abnormal presence of Graafian follicles, and in four cases of corpora lutea in the ovary. 3. Hypertrophy of the uterus, in one case having an œstrous, and in the others a progestational appearance, which might be genuine pseudo‐pregnancy. 4. Mucification of the vaginal epithelium. 5. Hypertrophy of the female preputial glands. 6. No mammary development, with the exception of one animal. 7. Hypertrophy of the clitoris‐like organ. It is suggested that Testosterone propionate is directly responsible for all these changes; that the mammary glands are less susceptible to injections than the other accessory organs; and that the length of the clitoris‐like organ is not normally determined by the presence of œstrogens. The effects observed appear to be directly dependent upon the duration of the treatment. The Oophorectomrised Guinea‐pig . Solid testosterone implantations, of which 15 mg. were absorbed in 30 days by two oophorectomised immature guinea‐pigs, were associated with an increase in body weight without fat deposits, and with hypertrophy of the uterus and clitoris, and the formation of horny styles on the latter. A successful testicular graft was made in one animal, which received 200 rat units of gonadotrophic hormone in 10 days. After thirty days, there was uterine hypertrophy, but no increase in body weight or in the length of the clitoris. The oophorectomised controls showed a considerable increase in body weight and fat deposits. There was slight uterine regression, but the clitoris maintained its length. It appears that the uterus is equally sensitive to testosterone and testis grafts. The clitoris is sensitive to testosterone, but probably requires a greater length of time to react to testicular material. This may account for the externally feminine appearance of naturally occurring mammalian intersexes, which are entirely lacking in ovarian tissue.