title: Physiological changes in androgen plasma levels with elapsing of time from castration in adult male rats.
abstract: In the present study we investigated in adult male rats the effects of castration on Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), Androstenedione (delta 4), Testosterone (T) and Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) plasma levels: five days (group II), seven weeks (group III) and eleven weeks (group IV) after orchiectomy. The same hormone assays were performed in rats approximately 60 days of age which underwent a sham-operation for orchiectomy (group I). Our data show that five days following orchiectomy (group II) delta 4, T and DHT were decreased with respect to sham-operated rats. (Group I: delta 4: 83.3 +/- 14.9 (SEM) ng/dl (n = 12); T: 435.32 +/- 51.45 (n = 12); DHT: 51.47 +/- 6.54 (n = 12); Group II: delta 4: 44.81 +/- 6.09 (n = 12) P = 0.05; T: 25.54 +/- 2.88 (n = 12) P less than 0.01; DHT: 12.9 +/- 2.51 (n = 12) P less than 0.01). Seven weeks afterwards T and DHT remained significantly lower (group III: T: 54.37 +/- 12.21, n = 16) (P less than 0.01; DHT: 33.22 +/- 4.49 (n = 16) P less than 0.01) while eleven weeks after all steroids were significantly decreased with respect to the values observed in sham-operated rats. (Group IV) delta 4: 32.01 +/- 5.7 (n = 10) P less than 0.01: T: 27.29 +/- 7.05 (n = 10) P less than 0.01; DHT: 29.03: 5.34 (n = 10) P less than 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Dip. di Biologia Cellulare, Università degli Studi della Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ando
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aquila
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Beraldi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Canonaco
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Panno
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valenti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dessi-Fulgheri
mesh_terms: D000728:Androgens / Q000097:blood*; D000735:Androstenedione / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000097:blood; D013196:Dihydrotestosterone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009919:Orchiectomy; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens; D013196:Dihydrotestosterone; D013739:Testosterone; D000735:Androstenedione; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone