Effects of Oestrogen on Phosphatase Activity in the Ventral Prostate of Intact, Castrated, and Androgen‐treated Castrated, Adult Rats

Abstract

Male rats were subjected to the following treatment: 1. Castration or treatment with the oestrogens polyoestradiol phosphate (PEP) (estradurin®), polydiethylstilboestrol phosphate (PSP), polyoestriol phosphate (SEP) (triodurin®), oestradiol‐17‐undecylate (EU) (progynon®‐depot), oestradiol‐3‐N‐[bis(2‐chloroethyl)]‐carbamate‐17‐dihydrogenphosphate (E) (estracyt®) or diethylstilboestrol diphosphate (H) (honvan®). PEP, PSP, SEP and EU were given as a single injection intramuscularly in a dose of 8 mg/kg, whereas E and H were given orally as water solutions (8 mg/kg) every second day. 2. Castration and treatment with the oestrogens. 3. Castration and treatment with testosterone‐3‐(p‐hexyloxyphenyl)‐proprionate (A) (andradurin®) (60 mg/kg intramuscularly in a single injection) and the oestrogens. – After 20 days the weight of the ventral prostate in group 1 was reduced to 85% by SEP, to 20% by E and to 10% by castration and the administration of other oestrogens. In group 2 the prostatic weight was reduced to 10%. In 3, A alone or combined with PEP, SEP, EU or E restored the prostatic weight. PSP reduced the prostatic weight to 75% and H to 65%. The alkaline phosphatase activity in group 1 was reduced to 55% by castration and increased to 135% by EU; in group 2 PEP, PSP, EU and E restored the activity; in group 3, A given alone restored the activity and A + PEP, PSP, EU or H increased the activity to 175–350%. The acid phosphatase activity in group 1 was reduced to 45% by castration, to 55% by H and to 70% by PSP. In group 2 PEP, PSP and E partly reversed the decrease brought about by castration; in 3, A given alone restored the activity, which was increased to 115–155% after A + PEP, PSP, H or E. Secretion from the ventral prostate of intact rats or castrated rats treated with A or A + PEP was squeezed out. The alkaline and acid phosphatase activities after A + PEP were approximately doubled. The findings indicate that oestrogen can affect the rat ventral prostate in ways other than by reducing the secretion of testicular androgens.

Symptome und Diagnostik innerer Krankheiten

“…Previous studies have shown that in low doses, estrogen potentiates the action of testosterone on the weight and secretory'activity of rat accessory sex organs. (Saunders, 1958;Grayhack and Kretchnçar, 1963;Shimazaki et al, 1969;Anderson and Muntzing, 1972).…”