title: [Study of vascular endothelial injury in male castrated rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the injury of vascular endothelium in male castrated rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 30 eight-week-old adult male SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups:control (n = 8); castration (n = 11) (low androgen) and replacement (n = 11) (androgen dosing after castration). After 10 weeks of treatment or castration, the rats were sacrificed to obtain aortic specimens. Arterial morphological changes were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining and electron microscope. Endothelial cell chromatin degradation was detected by the assay of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL). The mRNA level of bcl-2 was analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the control group, the arterial structure was disorderly and had shedding of endothelium in the castration group. More apoptotic endothelial cells were found in the castration group (61% ± 20%) than the other two groups (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the bcl-2 mRNA level decreased significantly in the castration group (P < 0.05). However no significant difference existed in the replacement group (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low androgen may damage the structure of vascular endothelium in male castrated rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. hzsyfkl@sina.com.cn
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kuang
authors.forename: Yan-xiang
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jiao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000728:Androgens / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D009919:Orchiectomy; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D057772:Vascular System Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2