Influence of ovariectomy and flutamide treatment on vaginal tissue and body weight.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect of flutamide on vaginal histology, and to ascertain whether flutamide regulates body weight gain in the ovariectomized rat model.


METHODS
We chose 36 sexually mature female Wistar-Albino rats in this study. The study took placed in the Department of Medical Science Application and Research Center of Dicle University, Diyarbakir, Turkey, in 2002. We divided the model rats into 3 groups: group 1--control group, group 2--sham-operated group and group 3--bilaterally ovariectomized group. In addition, we gave flutamide to group 3.


RESULTS
We found that the body weight was higher in the ovariectomized rats than the control rats. Furthermore, the body weight decreased a little after flutamide therapy. The thickness in the vaginal epithelium of the control group decreased, moreover, the appearance of stromal tissue was rather loose. After flutamide applications, infiltration of the stromal cells increased, the vaginal epithelial layer thickened and became keratinized. Microscopic papillae and anatomical processes appeared in the flutamide treated group.


CONCLUSIONS
We observed that the antiandrogen drug flutamide is hormonally active and may exhibit estrogenic-antiestrogenic activity in rats. Our study may be a source for further research examining the relationship between the androgen receptor antagonist flutamide and reproductive function in female rats.
Saruhan
Berna G
BG
Department of Histology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Dicle, Diyarbakir, Turkey. bsaruhan@dicle.edu.tr
Ozbag
Davut
D
Gumusalan
Yakup
Y
Ozdemir
Nurullah
N
D000726:Androgen Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005485:Flutamide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D010052:Ovariectomy; D011336:Probability; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014621:Vagina / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology*
D000726:Androgen Antagonists; D005485:Flutamide