Biomedical subjects

F Gaytan

Publications and source records attributed to F Gaytan.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1994

Decreased number and size and the defective function of testicular macrophages in long-term hypophysectomized rats are reversed by treatment with human gonadotrophins.

Macrophages are a common cell type in the testicular interstitium of the rat and are morphologically and functionally related to Leydig cells. We investigated the number of macrophages and Leydig cells in long-term (24 weeks) hypophysectomized (LTHX) or sham-operated rats. LTHX rats showed a 76% decrease in the number of macrophages, whereas the number of Leydig cells was only slightly decreased (by 18%). The profile areas of both macrophages and Leydig cells were very much decreased (46% and 66% respectively). Sham-operated and LTHX rats were treated with vehicle or human FSH and LH (hFSH/hLH; 75 IU/kg body weight per day) for 1 week. This treatment induced a 286% increase in the number of macrophages and a 32% increase in the number of Leydig cells in LTHX rats. The profile areas of macrophages and Leydig cells were also increased (212% and 184% respectively). About 80% of macrophages showed vacuolization of the cytoplasm. Gonadotrophin treatment did not induce changes in cell numbers in sham-operated animals but about 30% of macrophages showed large cytoplasmic vacuoles. Vehicle- or hormone-treated LTHX rats were given a single injection of ethylene dimethane sulphonate (EDS) and killed 72 h later. Leydig cells were absent from the testicular interstitium of sham-operated rats but there were large numbers of dead Leydig cells (about 40% of the pre-existing population) in the testicular interstitium of LTHX rats 3 days after EDS treatment. Complete clearance of the testicular interstitium from EDS-killed Leydig cells was found in LTHX rats treated with hFSH/hLH.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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PubMed1994

Mechanisms of reproductive deficiency in male rats treated neonatally with a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone antagonist.

It is well known that males injected neonatally with oestradiol or antiserum or antagonists (ANT) against gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) show multiple reproductive disorders. In the present work, in males treated neonatally with GnRH-ANT, we have analysed: (1) whether the impairment of reproductive function can be blocked by simultaneous treatment with gonadotrophins, (2) the possible differences in the effects of GnRH-ANT injected before or after the proliferation of Sertoli cells which takes place between days 1 and 15 of age, and (3) the mechanism(s) for the increased FSH secretion observed in adulthood. Experimental designs included: administration of GnRH-ANT between days 1 and 16 or 15 and 30 of age, simultaneous administration of gonadotrophins and GnRH-ANT to neonatal males, and measurement of FSH secretion after orchidectomy or specific destruction of Leydig cells with ethylene dimethane sulphonate (EDS) in adult males treated neonatally with GnRH-ANT. The principal new data presented in our studies are the following: (1) delayed puberty was observed not only in males injected neonatally with GnRH-ANT, but also in those injected with gonadotrophins or with GnRH-ANT and gonadotrophins, (2) the decreased fertility and increased FSH secretion observed in adult males treated neonatally with GnRH-ANT were normalized by simultaneous administration of GnRH-ANT and gonadotrophins, and (3) the increased FSH secretion in adult males treated neonatally with GnRH-ANT remained after EDS or orchidectomy, suggesting that mechanisms other than decreased inhibin secretion were involved in the increased secretion of FSH.

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PubMed1994

Differential effects of the administration of human chorionic gonadotropin to postnatal rats.

Neonatal and prepubertal male rats were treated with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG, 5 IU/g body weight per day) on days 2-4 or 20-22. Depending on the date of treatment, different groups of rats were sacrificed at 5, 23, 30 and 100 days of age, in order to study the short- and long-term effects of the treatment with hCG on the development of the testes and sex accessory organs. Rats treated with hCG on days 2-4 showed increased number and size of foetal Leydig cells at 5 days of age. However, long-term effects include decreased numbers of adult-type Leydig cells, decreased weight of the testes and sex accessory organs, decreased basal and hCG-stimulated testosterone secretion, and delayed balano-preputial separation. In contrast, animals treated with hCG on days 20-22 showed similar short- and long-term effects, consisting of increased number of adult-type Leydig cells and macrophages, increased weight of the testes and sex accessory organs and advanced balano-preputial separation. In adulthood, both groups showed normal reproductive function. These results seem to indicate that the effects of hCG treatment in prepubertal rats are dependent on the type of Leydig cell stimulated, and suggest that foetal Leydig cells play a regulatory role in the early postnatal testicular development.

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PubMed1992

Mechanism of reproductive deficiency in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) show multiple endocrine disorders. In the present work, specific reproductive modifications were analysed using normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) as controls. SHR showed delayed vaginal opening and first estrus presentation, regular vaginal cycles and released a normal number of ova each cycle. When compared with controls, SHR showed a decrease in the percentage of successful pregnancies (69% vs. 86% in WKY) and in the litter size (7.83 +/- 0.5 vs. 10.41 +/- 0.5). In SHR, progesterone plasma levels were significantly increased during the days 1-14 of pregnancy, and on the 5th day of pregnancy the plasma concentrations of LH but not of FSH were enhanced. Mortality during the first month of life was higher in SH (50%) than in control (24%) strain. When the SH females were mated with Wistar or WKY males, the percentage of pregnancies rose up to 95%. On the contrary, Wistar or WKY females mated with SH males showed a decrease in the percentage of pregnancies (62.5% and 50%, respectively). Besides, the litter sizes were significantly reduced in Wistar females mated with SH males. Newborn SH suckled immediately after birth from a WKY mother showed a significant reduction in the mortality during the first month of life (8% vs. 50%). In conclusion, our results suggest that changes in fertilization and/or implantation processes of SH rats were responsible for the reduced pregnancy rate, whereas the increased neonatal mortality could be due to lactation activity of SH mothers.

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PubMed1992

Pituitary-testis function in rats treated neonatally with a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist: short- and long-term effects.

Acute and long-term effects of neonatal and prepubertal treatments with an LH-releasing hormone agonist (LHRH-A) were studied in Wistar male rats. Animals injected with D-Ala6-D-Gly10-LHRH ethylamide (2 micrograms/kg per day) or vehicle from days 1 to 15 or from days 16 to 29 were killed at different ages. Treatment between days 1 and 15 induced a decrease in both pituitary FSH and LH content as well as a reduction in plasma FSH and blockade of the response to LHRH. These effects were apparent on day 16 after treatment. Basal and human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG)-stimulated progesterone and testosterone secretion in vitro was similar in testes from male rats treated with LHRH-A or vehicle. Reduced testicular weight was observed until day 90, whereas puberty, spermatogenesis and fertility were unaffected. The decrease in plasma FSH concentrations after neonatal treatment with LHRH-A was also found in groups of animals killed on day 10 and was possibly the cause of reduced testicular weight, since treatment with FSH from day 1 to day 15 blocked the effect of LHRH-A. Likewise, treatment with LHRH-A from day 1 to day 15 also reduced FSH and LH secretion in males orchidectomized on day 1 of life. Animals injected with LHRH-A from day 15 to day 29 exhibited, at the end of the treatment period, reduced testicular weight, and decreased pituitary gonadotrophin content and plasma FSH concentrations, whereas LH plasma concentrations were normal. In adulthood, the pituitary-testis function did not vary from normal.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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PubMed1992

Hypothalamic-pituitary function in neonatally oestrogen-treated male rats.

Neonatal oestrogen administration to male rats permanently impaired the function of the pituitary-testicular axis possibly by inhibiting neonatal gonadotrophin secretion. To analyse the hypothalamus and/or pituitary involvement in this inhibition, pituitary responsiveness to acute stimulation with LH-releasing hormone (LHRH) was studied in vivo and in vitro in Wistar male rats injected on day 1 of age with oestradiol benzoate (OB) or olive oil. FSH and LH pituitary content and plasma concentrations were reduced in oestrogenized male rats at days 10 and 16 of age. Likewise, the in-vivo increase in gonadotrophin plasma concentrations after acute stimulation with LHRH was almost completely suppressed in 10- and 16-day-old oestrogenized males. In vitro, the increased secretion of FSH after LHRH stimulation was abolished and the LH response strongly reduced in pituitaries from oestrogenized males. Finally, the effects of neonatal oestrogenization were not abolished by treatment from day 1 to day 15 with an LHRH agonist (0.01 microgram/kg per 12 h). We conclude that in male rats the effects of oestrogenization are due to both a reduction in LHRH endogenous secretion and a decrease in the pituitary responsiveness to LHRH.

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PubMed1991

Estrous cycle-related changes in mast cell numbers in several ovarian compartments in the rat.

The absolute number of mast cells in several ovarian compartments was studied during the estrous cycle of the rat. The number of mast cells significantly increased on proestrus (either in the morning or in the evening) in the ovarian medulla and cortex, whereas no significant changes were found in the ovarian bursa. During proestrus, abundant mast cells were present in the bursal cavity along with eosinophil and mononuclear leucocytes. Mast cells in the different ovarian compartments corresponded to mature mast cells, and degranulated or immature cells were only rarely found. These results seem to indicate that migration from an extraovarian source could be the mechanism underlying cyclic changes in ovarian mast cells.

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PubMed1990

Differentiation of mast cells during postnatal development of neonatally estrogen-treated rats.

The accumulation of mast cells in the testicular interstitium of neonatally estrogen-treated rats was studied from 15 to 90 days of age. The maturation of these cells was assessed by ultrastructural analysis and their histochemical properties were examined with the sequential alcian blue-safranin staining method. The first identifiable mast cells appeared in the testis at 17-20 days of age, as immature cells with proliferative capacity. The density of mast cells increased up to 45 days of age, showing a slight decrease from 45 to 90 days of age. Before 45 days of age, most mast cells showed alcian blue-stained granules, whereas at 45 days of age, most cells presented a mixture of alcian blue and safranin-stained granules. From this age onward, most cells were stained with safranin. These maturational changes were well-correlated with their ultrastructural features. Mast cells presented few and heterogeneous immature granules up to 45 days of age, and many uniform electron-dense granules at 90 days of age. These results indicate that the testicular interstitium of neonatally estrogen-treated rats provides an advantageous environment for the recruitment, proliferation and maturation of connective tissue mast cells.

Aging↗

PubMed1990

Leydig cell involvement in the paracrine regulation of mast cells in the testicular interstitium of the rat.

The accumulation of mast cells in the rat testicular interstitium was studied under different experimental conditions in order to correlate this accumulation with the alterations of specific testicular tissue compartments or cell types. Estrogen treatment was effective in inducing mast cell proliferation when administered on Day 1 or at higher doses at 10 days of age. Estrogens were ineffective beyond 20 days of age. Postnatal treatment of neonatal-estrogen-treated rats with FSH and LH prevented the appearance of mast cells. In contrast, treatment with the Leydig cell cytotoxic ethylene dimethane sulphonate (EDS) was effective in inducing mast cell accumulation only when administered to adult rats, inducing small numbers of mast cells at 45 days of age; it was ineffective on 30-day-old rats. Hypophysectomy alone did not determine the appearance of mast cells. However, when atrophic Leydig cells were destroyed with EDS, high numbers of mast cells accumulated in the testis. These results support the existence of Leydig cell-related inhibitory factors for mast cells in the rat testicular interstitium.

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PubMed1990

Possible role of changes in post-natal gonadotrophin concentrations on permanent impairment of the reproductive system in neonatally oestrogenized male rats.

Rats were treated neonatally with oestrogen (500 micrograms oestradiol benzoate injected on Day 1 of life). Treatment with FSH and LH (80 micrograms/100 g body wt and 40 micrograms/100 g body wt respectively) during the early post-natal period (Days 1-10) abolished the effects of oestradiol on the morphological and functional development of the testes and on the regulation of prolactin secretion, but had no action on the effects of oestradiol on the development of the sex accessory glands. Treatment with prolactin (100 micrograms/100 g body wt) during the early post-natal period did not affect the integrity of the reproductive system in adult life. These results suggest that neonatal oestradiol acts indirectly, through an inhibition of gonadotrophin secretion on testicular development, and directly on the development of the sex accessory glands.

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PubMed1988

Heterogeneity of the cartilage-marrow interface during uncalcified cartilage resorption in the chick embryo tibia.

The morphology of the cartilage-marrow interface in chick embryo tibiae has been studied from Day 11 to Day 14. The cartilage-marrow interface did not present a uniform aspect and three different areas could be defined. Most of the interface was lined by fibroblast-like cells, macrophage-like cells and multinucleate giant cells. Other areas were characterised by a paucity of cells and by the presence of much cell debris. In focal areas the cartilage surface was excavated and covered by several layers of closely packed cells. These cells presented longitudinal axes perpendicular to the cartilage surface and were characterised ultrastructurally by the presence of large amounts of rough endoplasmic reticulum and large cytoplasmic processes extending into the matrix. The presence of different cell associations along the cartilage-marrow interface seems to suggest that uncalcified cartilage resorption follows a phasic pattern.

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PubMed1987

Effects of neonatal estrogenization on rat bone development: a histomorphometric study.

The effects of a single dose of 500 micrograms of estradiol benzoate, administered on the first day of life, on rat bone development have been histomorphometrically studied at 15 days of age. Estrogenized animals presented decreased total tibial length (16.55 +/- 0.50 vs. 17.84 +/- 0.73 mm, P less than 0.05) and increased thickness of the cartilage growth plate (528.92 +/- 13.30 vs. 382.77 +/- 37.85 micron, P less than 0.01). This increase was mostly due to the presence of a wider (P less than 0.01) layer of hypertrophic cartilage in the estrogenized rats than in control ones. It might be related to the decreased number of chondroclasts (0.20 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.36 +/- 0.06 mm-1, P less than 0.05) found in the resorption zone. Two metaphyseal zones have been considered. In the upper metaphyseal zone there was an increase in the surface density of the cartilaginous trabeculae (49.20 +/- 1.80 vs. 40.72 +/- 1.95 mm2/mm3, P less than 0.05), without changes in the volume density. It was related to the presence of thinner and more irregular trabeculae in the estrogenized animals. In the lower metaphyseal zone both the volume (0.19 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.14 +/- 0.01 mm3/mm3, P less than 0.01) and surface (34.83 +/- 3.01 vs. 26.52 +/- 2.46 mm2/mm3, P less than 0.05) densities of the osseous trabecular tissue were increased in estrogenized rats. No significant differences were found either in the number of osteocytes per area unit of osseous tissue or in the number of osteoclasts per unit length of trabecular osseous tissue.

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PubMed1987

Quantitative analysis of Sertoli cells in neonatally oestrogen-treated rats.

On Day 1 of age rats were treated with 500 micrograms oestradiol benzoate. Oestrogen-treated rats had increased numbers of Sertoli cells per reference area or volume, whereas the total number of cells per testis was unchanged. The mean nuclear size was significantly smaller in oestrogen-treated rats than in control rats, at 22 and 45 days of age. The volume density of the heterochromatin clumps decreased from 22 to 45 days of age in control rats (68% fall), the decrease being slower in oestrogenized animals (30% fall) during the same period. The differences were significant at 45 days of age only. The relative volume occupied by the nuclear membrane infoldings was significantly less in oestrogenized rats than in control ones at the two ages considered. Nucleolar development was delayed in oestrogen-treated rats, which had lower numbers of nuclear sections showing nucleoli, as well as a decrease in the nucleolar diameter. We suggest that these Sertoli cell alterations are due to the altered gonadotrophin and testosterone concentrations induced by the steroid treatment rather than to a direct effect of oestrogen.

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PubMed1987

Morphometric study of cartilage dynamics in the chick embryo tibia. I. Methodology and tissue compartments in normal embryos.

Cartilage dynamics during the development of the chick embryo tibia has been studied by means of morphometric methods, from the 11th to the 14th days. The volume densities of the structures enclosed by the perichondrium-periosteum did not change significantly through the age span studied, whereas the absolute volumes of these structures increased during the whole period under investigation. The cartilage volume showed the most rapid increase from Day 12 to Day 13 (by a factor of x1.74). The volume of the invading connective and vascular tissue increased rapidly from Day 11 to Day 14. The rate of cartilage formation decreased from 7.60 +/- 1.02 to 3.82 +/- 0.89 mm3/day (from Day 13 to Day 14), whereas the rate of cartilage resorption increased until Day 13 (by a factor of x2.71), reaching a plateau after this age. Although cartilage formation was higher than resorption during this period, the changes found by Day 13 indicate that shortly after this age cartilage resorption will predominate over cartilage formation, leading to the disappearance of the cartilaginous model.

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PubMed1987

Morphometric study of cartilage dynamics in the chick embryo tibia. II. Dexamethasone-treated embryos.

The cartilage dynamics in the tibia of dexamethasone-treated chick embryos has been studied by means of morphometric methods. Treated embryos showed a delay in the longitudinal growth of the tibia, as well as in the growth of all structures enclosed by the perichondrium-periosteum. The cartilage formation rate remained nearly unchanged (above 1 mm3/day) from Day 12 to Day 14, whereas the cartilage resorption rate was zero up to Day 13, and showed a non-significant increase from Day 13 onwards. This might be related to the scarcity of resorptive cells found in the cartilage-marrow interface. By Day 14 a certain recovery of the growth rhythm was observed. These results indicate that the greatest effect of dexamethasone occurs at the level of cartilage resorption.

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PubMed1986

Morphometric analysis of the rat ventral prostate and seminal vesicles during prepubertal development: effects of neonatal treatment with estrogen.

In a morphometric study on the ventral prostate and seminal vesicles in the rat, we investigated the changes in fibromuscular stroma, glandular epithelium, and glandular lumen. Animals were studied at 15, 30 and 45 days of age. The rapid prepubertal growth started earlier in the ventral prostate than in seminal vesicles. In addition, the effects of neonatal administration of estrogens on the different tissue compartments were studied, comparing rats that had been castrated and/or treated with estrogen at birth to intact animals at 15 days of age. Estrogens caused a decrease in the volume of the glandular epithelium and increased the volume of the fibromuscular stroma in both ventral prostate and seminal vesicles. Castration partially abolished the estrogen-induced growth of the stroma, which suggests that the growth is dependent on testicular factors. The difference in proportion of the fibromuscular stroma between the two glands is evidence that the size of the whole seminal vesicles has increased whereas the size of the ventral prostate has decreased.

Aging↗

PubMed1986

Increased number of mast cells in the testis of neonatally estrogenized rats.

The presence of increased numbers of mast cells in the testis of adult neonatally estrogenized rats is reported. The histometric study revealed significant differences between control and estrogenized animals for two ages considered (45 and 90 days). This increase might be related with the development of connective tissue in estrogenized rats.

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PubMed1986

Morphometric aspects of rat testis development.

A morphometric study of rat testis development and ageing (from 5 to 360 days of age) has been carried out. The testicular volume increases from 10.28 +/- 0.35 mm3 (5 days of age) to 1819.43 +/- 52.67 mm3 (360 days of age), showing the most rapid increase between 20 and 70 days of age (22.6 times). The mean tubular diameter increases from 62.25 +/- 1.50 micron (5 days of age) to 280.81 +/- 9.77 microns (360 days of age) and the tubular length from 2.74 +/- 0.18 m (5 days of age) to 25.45 +/- 1.76 m (360 days of age). Up to 15 days of age, the increase in testicular volume was mainly due to the increase in tubular length, whereas from this age onwards the tubular growth was similar in both length and diameter. Tubular development had nearly finished at 70 days of age.

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