ACCESSORY MAMMALIAN REPRODUCTIVE GLANDS 



401 



hrane is continuous with the outer nuclear 

 membrane. The Golgi complex is conspicu- 

 ous as microvesicles midway between nu- 

 cleus and lumen. Mitochondria lie in the 

 matrix between the sacs and are very prom- 

 inent in the most apical region. Microvilli 

 project into the lumina of the alveoli with 

 no interruption of the cytoplasmic, or 

 plasma, membrane. The membrane at the 

 base of the cell is double (see Fig. 6.28) ; 

 one component, the basement membrane, 

 continues unbroken under adjacent cells; 

 the second forms a part of the double 

 plasma membrane between cells. Brandes 

 and Groth (1961) have confirmed Har- 

 kin's findings and added further observa- 

 tions. Nuclei contain patches of granules 

 which are frequently along the inner nu- 

 clear membrane; the Golgi complex consists 

 of vesicles, vacuoles, and parallel mem- 

 l)ranes; vesicles and granules surrounded 

 by smooth-surfaced membranes are dis- 

 posed in the cytoplasmic matrix and are 

 more numerous apically; the dilated sacs 

 or cisternae of the supranuclear region 

 seem to intercommunicate. 



Histochemical studies of basophilia, al- 

 kaline phosphatase activity, and the locali- 

 zation of i^eriodic acid-reactive carbohy- 

 drates (Periodic acid-Schiff or PAS 

 reaction) add further information (Table 

 6.6). Davey and Foster (1950) found baso- 

 philia (which was abolished by ribonu- 

 clease) distributed through the cytoplasm 

 except in the clear area described by Moore, 

 Price and Gallagher (1930) as correspond- 

 ing to the position of the Golgi zone. Stroma 

 of the ventral prostate shows some degree 

 of alkaline phosphatase activity but lumi- 

 nal secretion and epithelial cells are 

 strongly positive (Bern, 1949a), especially 

 at the luminal and basal borders (Stafford, 

 Rubenstein and Meyer, 1949). The secre- 

 tion also gives a fairly intense PAS reac- 

 tion whereas the epithelial cells are only 

 slightly reactive; occasionally the Golgi 

 apparatus is visible as PAS-positive gran- 

 ules (Leblond, 1950). 



After castration, there is reduction in cell 

 height and loss of the cytoplasmic clear 

 zone (Fig. 6.15) within 4 days. On subse- 

 cjuent days, cell size continues to decrease 

 and nuclei become small and pyknotic 

 (Figs. 6.10. 6.16 to 6.18). The Golgi ap- 



paratus begins to fragment by 10 days; by 

 20 days it consists of granules much re- 

 duced in amount (Fig. 6.20) and the base- 

 ment membrane of the cells disappears 

 (Moore, Price and Gallagher, 1930). 



Harkin (1957a) reported changes ob- 

 servable by electron microscopy within 24 

 hours after castration; distention of apical 

 ergastoplasmic sacs and reduction in size 

 and number of microvilli. By 2 days, there 

 is dilation of Golgi microvesicles, collapse 

 of the apical ergastoplasmic sacs, and re- 

 duction in mass of apical cytoplasm; at 4 

 days, massive collapse of sacs, reduction 

 in mitochondrial number, and increase in 

 electron-dense bodies (Fig. 6.30). The 

 granular component is not reduced until 8 

 days after castration or longer. Brandes and 

 Portela (1960a) noted, briefly, collapse in 

 the cisternae of the ergastoplasm, loss of 

 the ribonucleic acid- (RNA) rich granules 

 from the membranes of the endoplasmic re- 

 ticulum, and apparent increase in mito- 

 chondria but with a reduction in their size 

 (Table 6.6). 



The distribution of alkaline phosphatase 

 in the stroma, epithelium, and secretion is 

 unchanged 32 days after castration; the 

 stroma is still reactive at 120 days but the 

 epithelium is completely atrophic (Bern 

 and Levy, 1952). (Quantitative determina- 

 tions of alkaline and acid phosphatases 

 showed, however, that activities of both 

 enzymes are reduced markedly by 8 days 

 (Stafford, Rubenstein and Meyer, 1949). 

 The epithelium loses the ability to secrete 

 citric acid (see Section IT). 



Changes after gonadectomy are pre- 

 vented or reversed by administration of 

 androgenic substances. Extracts of bull 

 testes (:\Ioore, Price and Gallagher, 1930) 

 prevented involution of the epithelium in 

 castrates (Fig. 6.11 and 6.21) and androst- 

 erone, testosterone, and testosterone pro- 

 pionate prevented or repaired castration 

 changes CMoore and Price, 1937, 1938). 

 The response of the castrate to androgen 

 is rapid; cell hypertrophy begins within 

 23 hours after a single injection of testost- 

 erone propionate into males castrated for 

 40 days ; at 35 hours mitotic activity begins 

 and reaches a maximum at 43 hours (Burk- 

 hart, 1942). 



Ergastoplasmic sacs in the epithelial cells 



