title: The effect of sexual hormones on the sulfated glycosaminoglycan pattern of male genital accessory organs.
abstract: The absolute and relative amounts of glycosaminoglycans and [35S]sulfate uptake were investigated in several tissues of male guinea pigs and rats under different sexual hormonal conditions (castration, estrogen treatment, or both). The hormonal effects, regarding the pattern of sulfated glycosaminoglycans, were specifically observed in the target organs (vas deferens and seminal vesicles) of both animals. Castration, in both species, decreases the amount of heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate, while diethylstilbestrol (DES) treatment causes different effects on rat and guinea pig target organs. In rats the effect of estrogen administration and surgical castration was essentially the same, and in guinea pigs DES increased the content of dermatan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate. The modifications in the specific patterns of the sulfated glycosaminoglycans suggest that these compounds are under sexual hormonal control only in the target organs, and show a specific pattern of distribution according to the tissue layer.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002369:Castration; D004967:Estrogens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005837:Genitalia, Male / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000378:metabolism*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D012669:Seminal Vesicles / Q000378:metabolism; D013431:Sulfates / Q000378:metabolism; D014649:Vas Deferens / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D013431:Sulfates