[Histological changes in the adrenal cortex of the Syrian hamster following perinatal treatment with sex steroids].

The adrenal cortex of the Syrian golden hamster is influenced by androgen hormone, for during puberty sex dimorphism of the adrenal cortex can be observed; it is prevented by perinatal castration. The following study will show, if and how other steroids influence the adrenal cortex of the normal and castrated female and male golden hamster. Beginning perinatally, groups of 10 hamsters each (intact and castrated males and females, altogether 160 animals) received testosterone hexohydrobenzoate (T), oestrogen undecylate (0), cyproterone acetate (CA) or sesame oil till the 6th week of life in an increasing, from the 6th-12th week in a constant dose. (T: 2.0 mg, 0: 1.0 mg, CA: 10.0 mg/week). The animals were sacrificed at the end of the 12th week of life. Control of adrenal weight; light microscopy of the adrenals; histometry, statistical evaluation of all data, and histochemistry. The adrenals of intact and castrated animals reacted in the same way. Under T treatment, in females, the zona reticularis enlarged as in males. By light microscopy and histometry there were no differences anymore between the female and male adrenals. 0 feminized the adrenal of the male, i.e. the zona reticularis became narrow with small cells, while the adrenal cortex of the female did not change. In both sexes, CA affected the zona reticularis less than the zona fasciculata. Thereby numeric and single cell atrophy was caused. Our results demonstrate the sex-specificity of the zona reticularis, showing a contrary influence by T and 0, and the rather glucocorticoid than anti-androgen-like effect by CA upon the adrenals.