A Reinvestigation of Testicular-Anterior Pituitary Relationships in the Rat: I. Effects of Castration and Cryptorchidism

Abstract

Adult male rats which were castrated or made cryptorchid were compared to intact or sham-operated controls with respect to serum and pituitary FSH and LH, serum testosterone, testicular weight and morphology and ventral prostate weight. Castrated rats showed a rapid and marked increase in serum FSH and LH and a progressive increase in pituitary LH concentration and content. Pituitary FSH content in the castrated animal showed an initial decrease followed by a progressive rise. The cryptorchid animals showed similar but less marked changes in serum FSH and LH and pituitary LH concentration and content. An early decrease in pituitary FSH content was not seen in the cryptorchid animal. A surprising finding was a decrease in serum testosterone and progressive alteration of Leydig cell morphology in the cryptorchid animal despite maintenance of normal weight of the ventral prostate. (Endocrinology88: 872, 1971)