Summary
Adult female rats have heavier adrenals than males. Orchiectomy increases the adrenal weight, an effect reversed by testosterone. Neither ovariectomy nor estradiol replacement has an effect on absolute adrenal weight.
The stereologic analysis of the volume fractions of particular adrenocortical zones have shown that the volume fraction of the zona glomerulosa in females is smaller as compared with males. On the contrary, the volume fractions of the fasciculata and reticularis zones are higher in female than in male rats. In both sexes gonadectomy and gonadal hormone replacement has an effect on the volume fractions of particular adrenocortical zones, these changes being more pronounced due to orchiectomy or testosterone replacement. The adrenal cortex of all experimental groups contains a similar quantity of parenchymal cells. The cytoplasm volume of a single adrenocortical cell is higher in all zones of the female adrenals as compared with the male. Orchiectomy increases the volume of the cytoplasm in fasciculata and reticularis cells. This effect was reversed by testosterone. Neither ovariectomy nor estradiol replacement has an effect on the volume of the cytoplasm in the fasciculata and reticularis cells.
These studies have shown that sex differences with regards to rat adrenal size and weight depend upon the “physiologic atrophy” of the male adrenal cortex, while neither ovariectomy (8 weeks after operation) nor estradiol replacement has a conspicuous effect on the morphologic changes of this gland.
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This research was supported in part by a grant from the Zoological Committee, 2nd Department, Polish Academy of Sciences. — The author wishes to thank Mrs. B. Westerska and Miss K. Siejak for excellent technical assistance.
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Malendowicz, L.K. Sex differences in adrenocortical structure and function. Cell Tissue Res. 151, 537–547 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00222998
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00222998