Effect of transplantation of the foetal testis to neonatal female rats on differentiation of the postpubertal secretory pattern of gonadotrophin.
Rat foetal testes (day 19 or 20 pregnancy) were transplanted into the neck of 3-day-old female rats. When testicular grafts were left in the recipients until autopsy (at 90 days of age), anovulatory persistent oestrous syndrome developed in most of the recipient females. These changes were not influenced by the removal at 45 days of age of the testicular grafts. However, the incidence of anovulatory sterility was significantly reduced when the foetal testicular grafts had been removed 5 days after transplantation. Treatment of these recipient females with 40 IU HCG from the day of the transplantation to the day before the removal of the transplants markedly increased the incidence of anovulatory sterility in the recipient females. In histological examinations of the testicular grafts upon their removal, a significant stimulation of Leydig cell elements was noted in the groups of rats treated with HCG. It is highly probable that if sufficient levels of gonadotrophin (GTH) are present in the recipient females, testicular tissues from day 18-20 foetuses can secrete sufficient amounts of androgen for masculinizing GTH regulation.
D000818:Animals; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000494:pharmacology; D003864:Depression, Chemical; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000187:drug effects; D005333:Fetus; D006062:Gonadotropins / Q000378:metabolism*; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D013737:Testis / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation*; D013997:Time Factors; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D006062:Gonadotropins