In studies performed on male Wistar rats, castration induced atrophy of the prostate with a marked increase in the uronic acid content. The administration of testosterone propionate to castrated rats produced opposite effects. Fractionation of the glycosaminoglycans on cellulose microcolumns showed that the changes in uronic acid content in the dorsolateral lobes were due to variations in hyaluronic acid, chondroitin-4-sulfate, and dermatan sulfate, but in the ventral lobes, there were changes in all the chromatographic fractions. There were also changes in the physical properties of proteoglycans. In the ventral lobes, castration induced a wider distribution of molecular weight, increased density, and predominance of lateral chains of greater size. In the dorsolateral lobes, there was a decrease in molecular weight and density of proteoglycans and in the length of lateral chains. Opposite results were obtained when testosterone propionate was given to castrated rats. It is postulated that the effects of androgens upon prostatic growth would depend on an interrelationship between epithelium and stroma mediated by the proteoglycans.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.