Influence of intragastrically administered androgens on hypothalamic differentiation in rats.
Male and female rats aged 3 days were injected intragastrically with methyltestosterone and STS 383 synthetic androgen in doses between 0.4-3.2 mg and 0.2-3.2 mg, respectively. The treated females showed disturbances in hypothalamic differentiation as demonstrated by changes of the day of vaginal opening and frequency of oestrus, by a decrease of ovarian weight and a loss of fertility. It is thus possible to investigate perorally active aromatizable androgens for their central activities. STS 383, a new p. o. active androgen showed a higher activity compared with methyltestosterone in this study, whereas in the Hershberger model methyltestosterone was previously found to be 4 times more active than STS 383. A possible dissociation of central and peripheral activities between these two substances is discussed.
D000728:Androgens / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D004971:Estrus / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000187:drug effects; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D008297:Male; D008777:Methyltestosterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D013270:Stomach; D045165:Testosterone Congeners / Q000494:pharmacology; D014621:Vagina / Q000187:drug effects
D000728:Androgens; D045165:Testosterone Congeners; C016850:17beta-(azidocarbonyl)oxy-androst-4-en-3-one; D008777:Methyltestosterone