title: Morphological and morphometric analysis of the adrenal cortex of androgenized female rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We evaluated the thickness of the adrenal cortex zones of female rats androgenized to mimic polycystic ovary syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-four female virgin Wistar-Hannover rats were divided into two groups: controls (n = 17) and animals which received testosterone propionate on the 2nd day of life (n = 27). At 90 days of life, after confirmation of persistent estrus, the animals were sacrificed, and the adrenal cortex zones were evaluated. Student's t test and Levene's test were used in the statistical analysis (p < 0.05 considered significant).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The adrenal glands of the androgenized rats were more voluminous and had a more intensely vascularized zona reticularis than the control animals. The mean thicknesses of zona glomerulosa and zona reticularis in the androgenized rats were 58.4 and 730.7 mum, respectively, significantly thicker than the values in the control group (45.0 and 328.3 mum, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Zona reticularis and zona glomerulosa of the androgenized female rats were significantly thicker than those of the control animals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Brazil. beneditoborges@globo.com
authors.forename: Benedito Borges
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Pedro Vitor
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Lopes-Costa
authors.forename: Marta Alves
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rosal
authors.forename: Cleicilene Gomes
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Pires
authors.forename: Lina Gomes
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: dos Santos
authors.forename: José Antônio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Gontijo
authors.forename: Airlane Pereira
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Alencar
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Jesus Simões
mesh_terms: D000302:Adrenal Cortex / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D000315:Adrenalectomy / Q000379:methods; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D011085:Polycystic Ovary Syndrome / Q000473:pathology*; D011336:Probability; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013739:Testosterone / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone