Influence of Sex Hormones on Citric Acid Concentration of the Prostatic Tissue of Male White Rats

Kim, Young Kyoon; Lee, Hak Song

Abstract

Androgenic and estrogenic hormones were administered to adult male white rats with intact gonads and adult male white castrate rats to study their effects on citric acid concentration of the prostate gland. In this study 30 male rats, 14 to 16 weeks of age, weighing approximately 250 to 300 gm., were divided into 5 groups of six rats: Group 1: Control Group 2: Administration of testosterone propionate 0.5 mg., 7 doses Group 3: Administration of estradiol 0.2 mg., 7 doses Group 4: Castration and administration of testosterone propionate 0.5 mg., 7 doses Group 5: Castration and administration of both testosterone propionate 0.5 mg. and estradiol 0.2 mg., 7 doses each. One day after the final injection with sex hormones, the animals were sacrificed and the prostatic citrate was determined using the Kim-Tesar modification of the Taylor's method. Estrogen administration to the male rats with intact gonads caused an increase in the prostatic citrate concentration. Testosterone propionate administration after castration returned the citrate concentration to normal, but estradiol administration along with testosterone propionate after castration caused a rise in the prostatic concentration of citric acid. Hypophysectomized white rats purchased from the Hormone Assay Laboratory were castrated and were administered androgen and estrogen to study their effects on the prostatic concentration of citric acid, 36 rats were divided into 6 groups of six rats: Group 1: Control (no hypophysectomy) Group 2: Hypophysectomy and castration Group 3: Hypophysectomy, castration and administration of testosterone propionate 0.5 mg., 7 doses Group 4: Hypophysectomy, castration and administration of both testosterone propionate 0.5 mg, and estradiol 0.5 mg., 7 doses each Group 5: Hypophysectomy castration and administration of both testosterone propionate 0.5 mg. and estradiol 0.25 mg., 7 doses each Group 6: Hypophysectomy, castration and administration of both testosterone propionate 0.5 mg. and estradiol 0.125 mg., 7 doses each. Hypophysectomy and castration caused a marked increase in the prostatic concentration of citric acid. When testosterone propionate was administered to hypophysectomized castrate, the ciric acid value returned to normal. Administration of estradiol along with testosterone propionate to hypophysectomized castrate caused changes in the prostatic citrate concentration according to the dosage of estradiol administered, the more the dosage, the more the concentration of the prostatic citrate. Concentration of the prostatic citrate can not be taken as an index of androgenic activity.