Original Scientific Article
Immunohistomorphometric changes of the pituitary gonadotropic cells after testosterone application in a rat model of the andropause
Nataša Ristić
*
,
Vladimir Ajdžanović
,
Dragana Petrović-Kosanović
,
Marko Miler
,
Gordana Ušćebrka
,
Verica Milošević
Received: 09 January 2017
Received in revised form: 15 April 2018
Accepted: 07 May 2018
Available Online First: 03 November 2018
Published on: 15 March 2019
Correspondence: Nataša Ristić, negicn@ibiss.bg.ac.rs
Abstract
Andropause, the culminating phase of male ageing, is characterized by deregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitarygonadal axis and low circulating free testosterone. The aim of this study was to investigate the immunohistomorphometric characteristics of the pituitary gonadotropic i.e. follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and the luteinizing hormone (LH) producing cells after testosterone application in a rat model of the andropause. Middle-aged Wistar rats were divided into orchidectomized (ORX; n=8) and testosterone treated orchidectomized (ORX+T; n=8) groups. Testosterone propionate (5 mg/kg b.m. /day) was administered for three weeks, while the ORX group received the vehicle alone. Immunohistochemically stained FSH and LH cells underwent morphometric and optical density-related analysis, while circulating concentrations of the sex steroids were measured by immunoassays. Serum concentrations of testosterone and estradiol were significantly (p<0.05) increased by 24 and 2.7 fold respectively, compared to the ORX group. The volume of FSH and LH cells was significantly (p<0.05) decreased by 51.3% and 56.6% respectively, in comparison with ORX rats. Relative volume density of FSH and LH cells was also significantly (p<0.05) decreased by 54.0% and 72.8% respectively, compared to the ORX group. Results related to the optical density of gonadotropic cells (reflecting their hormonal content) were in line with the morphometric findings i.e. this parameter of FSH and LH cells was significantly (p<0.05) decreased by 25.7% and 16.2% respectively, in comparison with ORX rats. Conclusion: In conclusion, applied testosterone increased the serum concentrations of sex steroids, as well as it decreased morphometric parameters and optical density of gonadotropic cells in ORX rats.
Keywords: andropause; testosterone; gonadotropic cells; immunohistomorphometry; optical density
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Copyright
© 2018 Ristić N. This is an open-access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Acknowledgment
This work was supported by the Ministry of Science, Education and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, Grant number 173009.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declared that they have no potential conflict of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.
Citation Information
Macedonian Veterinary Review. Volume 42, Issue 1, Pages 5-13, p-ISSN 1409-7621, e-ISSN 1857-7415, DOI: 10.2478/macvetrev-2018-0023, 2018
10.2478/macvetrev-2018-0023
