Morphological and morphometric analysis of the adrenal cortex of androgenized female rats.
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.
da Silva
Benedito Borges
BB
Department of Gynecology, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Brazil. beneditoborges@globo.com
Lopes-Costa
Pedro Vitor
PV
Rosal
Marta Alves
MA
Pires
Cleicilene Gomes
CG
dos Santos
Lina Gomes
LG
Gontijo
José Antônio
JA
Alencar
Airlane Pereira
AP
de Jesus Simões
Manuel
M
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
D013739:Testosterone