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Akane H, Toyoda T, Mizuta Y, Cho YM, Ide T, Kosaka T, Tajima H, Aoyama H, Ogawa K. Histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluation for detecting changes in blood hormone levels caused by endocrine disruptors in a 28-day repeated-dose study in rats. J Appl Toxicol 2022; 42:1603-1617. [PMID: 35385133 DOI: 10.1002/jat.4327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Although measurements of blood hormone levels in rodent toxicological studies can provide important information on the mechanisms of toxicity and extrapolation to humans, there are several difficulties such as large individual differences and limited sample volume. To develop a more simplified method that does not depend solely on blood samples, we examined the possible application of immunohistochemistry for detecting endocrine disruptors in short-term studies. Aminotriazole (AMT), propylthiouracil (PTU), phenobarbital, aminoglutethimide (AGT), estradiol, and vitamin D3 were administered orally to 6-week-old male and female SD rats (five/group) for 28 days. Measurements of serum hormone levels revealed decreases in triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) in the AMT and PTU groups, an increase in thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in the AMT, PTU, and AGT groups, and an increase in adrenocorticotrophic hormone in the AGT group. Increased thyroid, pituitary, and adrenal gland weights; histopathological lesions, including follicular hypertrophy/hyperplasia, hypertrophy/vacuolation of anterior pituitary cells, and increased adrenocortical vacuolation were observed in association with the hormone level changes. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed a decreased T4 level in the thyroid gland of the AMT and PTU groups and an increased area of TSH positive immunostaining in the pituitary gland of the AMT, PTU, and AGT groups, consistent with the changes in serum T4 and TSH levels, respectively. These results suggest that histopathological analysis and immunohistochemistry for T4 and TSH might be useful and sensitive methods of detecting thyroid dysfunction, and that combining organ weight measurements is a reliable parameter of detecting endocrine disruptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirotoshi Akane
- Division of Pathology, National Institute of Health Sciences, Kawasaki, Japan
| | - Takeshi Toyoda
- Division of Pathology, National Institute of Health Sciences, Kawasaki, Japan
| | - Yasuko Mizuta
- Division of Pathology, National Institute of Health Sciences, Kawasaki, Japan
| | - Young-Man Cho
- Division of Pathology, National Institute of Health Sciences, Kawasaki, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Ide
- Division of Pathology, National Institute of Health Sciences, Kawasaki, Japan
| | - Tadashi Kosaka
- Toxicology Division, Institute of Environmental Toxicology, Joso, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Tajima
- Toxicology Division, Institute of Environmental Toxicology, Joso, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Aoyama
- Toxicology Division, Institute of Environmental Toxicology, Joso, Japan
| | - Kumiko Ogawa
- Division of Pathology, National Institute of Health Sciences, Kawasaki, Japan
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2
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Hess RA, Sharpe RM, Hinton BT. Estrogens and development of the rete testis, efferent ductules, epididymis and vas deferens. Differentiation 2021; 118:41-71. [PMID: 33441255 PMCID: PMC8026493 DOI: 10.1016/j.diff.2020.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Estrogen has always been considered the female hormone and testosterone the male hormone. However, estrogen's presence in the testis and deleterious effects of estrogen treatment during development have been known for nearly 90 years, long before estrogen receptors (ESRs) were discovered. Eventually it was learned that testes actually synthesize high levels of estradiol (E2) and sequester high concentrations in the reproductive tract lumen, which seems contradictory to the overwhelming number of studies showing reproductive pathology following exogenous estrogen exposures. For too long, the developmental pathology of estrogen has dominated our thinking, even resulting in the "estrogen hypothesis" as related to the testicular dysgenesis syndrome. However, these early studies and the development of an Esr1 knockout mouse led to a deluge of research into estrogen's potential role in and disruption of development and function of the male reproductive system. What is new is that estrogen action in the male cannot be divorced from that of androgen. This paper presents what is known about components of the estrogen pathway, including its synthesis and target receptors, and the need to achieve a balance between androgen- and estrogen-action in male reproductive tract differentiation and adult functions. The review focuses on what is known regarding development of the male reproductive tract, from the rete testis to the vas deferens, and examines the expression of estrogen receptors and presence of aromatase in the male reproductive system, traces the evidence provided by estrogen-associated knockout and transgenic animal models and discusses the effects of fetal and postnatal exposures to estrogens. Hopefully, there will be enough here to stimulate discussions and new investigations of the androgen:estrogen balance that seems to be essential for development of the male reproductive tract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rex A Hess
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL, 61802 USA and Epivara, Inc., Research Park, 60 Hazelwood Dr., Suite 230G, Champaign, IL, 61820, USA.
| | - Richard M Sharpe
- MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK.
| | - Barry T Hinton
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
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Baskin L, Cao M, Sinclair A, Li Y, Overland M, Isaacson D, Cunha GR. Androgen and estrogen receptor expression in the developing human penis and clitoris. Differentiation 2020; 111:41-59. [PMID: 31655443 PMCID: PMC6926156 DOI: 10.1016/j.diff.2019.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Revised: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
To better understand how the human fetal penis and clitoris grows and remodels, we undertook an investigation to define active areas of cellular proliferation and programmed cell death spatially and temporally during development of human fetal external genitalia from the indifferent stage (8 weeks) to 18 weeks of gestation. Fifty normal human fetal penile and clitoral specimens were examined using macroscopic imaging, scanning electron microscopy and immunohistochemical localization for the cellular proliferation and apoptotic markers, Ki67 and Caspase-3. A number of hot spots of cellular proliferation characterized by Ki67 localization are present in the penis and clitoris especially early in development, most notably in the corporal body, glans, remodeling glanular urethra, the urethral plate, the roof of the urethral groove and the fully formed penile urethra. The 12-fold increase in penile length over 10 weeks of growth from 8 to 18 weeks of gestation based on Ki67 labelling appears to be driven by cellular proliferation in the corporal body and glans. Throughout all ages in both the developing penis and clitoris Ki67 labeling was consistently elevated in the ventral epidermis and ventral mesenchyme relative to the dorsal counterparts. This finding is consistent with the intense morphogenetic activity/remodeling in the ventral half of the genital tubercle in both sexes involving formation of the urethral/vestibular plates, canalization of the urethral/vestibular plates and fusion of the urethral folds to form the penile urethra. Areas of reduced or absent Ki67 staining include the urethral fold epithelium that fuses to form the penile tubular urethra. In contrast, the urethral fold mesenchyme is positive for Ki67. Apoptosis was rarely noted in the developing penis and clitoris; the only area of minimal Caspase-3 localization was in the epithelium of the ventral epithelial glanular channel remodeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence Baskin
- Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Division of Pediatric Urology, University of California San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Mei Cao
- Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Division of Pediatric Urology, University of California San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Adriane Sinclair
- Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Division of Pediatric Urology, University of California San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Yi Li
- Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Division of Pediatric Urology, University of California San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Maya Overland
- Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Division of Pediatric Urology, University of California San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Dylan Isaacson
- Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Division of Pediatric Urology, University of California San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Gerald R Cunha
- Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Division of Pediatric Urology, University of California San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, CA, USA
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4
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Can S, Selli J, Buyuk B, Aydin S, Kocaaslan R, Guvendi GF. The effect of estrogen usage on eccentric exercise-induced damage in rat testes. IRANIAN RED CRESCENT MEDICAL JOURNAL 2015; 17:e22521. [PMID: 26023337 PMCID: PMC4443386 DOI: 10.5812/ircmj.17(4)2015.22521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2014] [Revised: 01/24/2015] [Accepted: 03/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Background: Recent years, lots of scientific studies are focused on the possible mechanism of inflammatory response and oxidative stress which are the mechanism related with tissue damage and exercise fatigue. It is well-known that free oxygen radicals may be induced under invitro conditions as well as oxidative stress by exhaustive physical exercise. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of anabolic steroids in conjunction with exercise in the process of spermatogenesis in the testes, using histological and stereological methods. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six male Sprague Dawley rats were divided to six groups, including the control group, the eccentric exercise administered group, the estrogen applied group, the estrogen applied and dissected one hour after eccentric exercise group, the no estrogen applied and dissected 48 hours after eccentric exercise group and the estrogen applied and dissected 48 hours after eccentric exercise group. Eccentric exercise was performed on a motorized rodent treadmill and the estrogen applied groups received daily physiological doses by subcutaneous injections. Testicular tissues were examined using specific histopathological, immunohistochemical and stereological methods. Sections of the testes tissue were stained using the TUNEL method to identify apoptotic cells. Apoptosis was calculated as the percentage of positive cells, using stereological analysis. A statistical analysis of the data was carried out with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the data obtained from stereological analysis. Results: Conventional light microscopic results revealed that testes tissues of the eccentric exercise administered group and the estrogen supplemented group exhibited slight impairment. In groups that were both eccentrically exercised and estrogen supplemented, more deterioration was detected in testes tissues. Likewise, immunohistochemistry findings were also more prominent in the eccentrically exercised and estrogen supplemented groups. Conclusions: The findings suggest that estrogen supplementation increases damage in testicular tissue due to eccentric exercise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serpil Can
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Kafkas University, Kars, Turkey
- Corresponding Author: Serpil Can, Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Kafkas University, Kars, Turkey. Tel: +90-50566260271, E-mail:
| | - Jale Selli
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey
| | - Basak Buyuk
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey
| | - Sergulen Aydin
- Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Kafkas University, Kars, Turkey
| | - Ramazan Kocaaslan
- Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Kafkas University, Kars, Turkey
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Kawaguchi H, Miyoshi N, Miyamoto Y, Souda M, Umekita Y, Yasuda N, Yoshida H. Effects of exposure period and dose of diethylstilbestrol on pregnancy in rats. J Vet Med Sci 2009; 71:1309-15. [PMID: 19887736 DOI: 10.1292/jvms.001309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of exposure period and dose of diethylstilbestrol (DES), which has strong estrogenic activity, on pregnancy in rats. All rats with observed vaginal plugs or sperm in vaginal smear tests after mating were divided into 3 groups: those fed a normal diet, a diet mixed with DES throughout pregnancy and a diet mixed with DES from day 13 of pregnancy. DES was mixed into the diet at 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 ppm. All bred rats fed the normal diet and 0.1 ppm DES from day 13 of pregnancy delivered pups, while none of the rats treated with 1-100 ppm DES during pregnancy and 100 ppm DES from day 13 of pregnancy delivered any pups. The number of male and female pups born decreased in rats treated with 10 ppm DES from day 13 of pregnancy. These results suggest that DES could affect pregnancy and that the exposure period and dose may result in sterility, abortion, poor fetal growth and reduced number of pups born.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroaki Kawaguchi
- Department of Veterinary Experimental Animal Science, Kagoshima University, Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan
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Sanoh S, Kitamura S, Sugihara K, Kohta R, Ohta S, Watanabe H. Effects of Stilbene and Related Compounds on Reproductive Organs in B6C3F1/Crj Mouse. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1248/jhs.52.613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Seigo Sanoh
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University
| | - Shigeyuki Kitamura
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University
- Nihon Pharmaceutical University
| | - Kazumi Sugihara
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University
| | - Ryuki Kohta
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University
| | - Shigeru Ohta
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University
| | - Hiromitsu Watanabe
- Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University
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7
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Okuno Y, Miyata K. Effects of an Endocrine Disruptor on Male Reproductive Organs. J Toxicol Pathol 2001. [DOI: 10.1293/tox.14.79] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yasuyoshi Okuno
- Environmental Health Science Laboratory, Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd
| | - Kaori Miyata
- Environmental Health Science Laboratory, Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd
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