412 



PHYSIOLOGY OF GONADS 



TABLE 6.8 



Summary of the effects of testicular androgen on the mouse prostate and coagulating glands 



Normal Males 



Castrated Males 



General Characteristics 



All lobes 

 alveoli with folded 



lucosa; secretion in luniina. 



columnar epithelial cells 



cytoplasm of epithelial cells granular or foamy 



nuclei basal . 



stroma of connective tissue and smooth muscle 



Histochemical observations: 



secretion in lumina PAS-positive 



cytoplasm acid phosphatase-positive; sulfhydryl reaction 



intracytoplasmic granules PAS-positive; near luminal border 



Golgi region PAS-positive granules; strong acid phosphatase activity. 



basement membrane PAS- and alkaline phosphatase-positive 



Stroma PAS- and alkaline phosphatase-positive 



Electron microscopic observations: 



epithelial cells with microvilli 



Golgi complex smooth surfaced membranes and vesicles 



Iveolar size; loss of villi and bulk of 



Reduction i 



secretion 



Reduction in cell size; pseudostratification 

 .\ppears less dense 

 Shrunken and pyknotic 

 Fibromuscular increase 



Almost completely negative 



Phosphatase activity reduced 



Almost completely negative 



Almost completely negative 



Activity retained; less intense 



Activity retained in sheaths of smooth muscles 



Cell size reduced 



Specific Characteristics 



Ventral lobes 



Histochemical observations : 

 secretion in lumina strong alkaline phosphatase activity 

 cytoplasm alkaline pliosphatase-positive 



Golgi loose networks in apical cytoplasm 



Electron microscopic observations: 

 cytoplasm; ergastoplasm with generally flattened cisternae.. 

 Dorsal lobes 

 Histochemical observations : 



Golgi compact networks in apical cytoplasm 



Coagulating glands (anterior prostate) 

 Histochemical observations : 

 Secretion in lumina intense protein reaction; PAS-positive;. 



sulfhydryl reaction 



cytoplasm high concentrations of RNA basally and apically 



protein reactions, intense apically 



sulfhydryl reaction, especially strong apically 



Golgi condensed apical networks 



Electron microscopic observations: 

 cytoplasm extremely dilated ergastoplasmic cisternae 



Reduced in amount; fragmented 

 Cisternae collapsed; reduced granules 



Retluced in amount; fragmented 



Some PAS reaction retained 



Sulfhydryl reaction lost 



Markedly decreased 



Greatly reduced 



Reaction lost 



Reduced in amount; fragmented 



Cisternae collapsed; granules reduced 



and Portela (1960b) show that these epi- 

 thelial cells are characterized by an endo- 

 plasmic reticulum with greatly dilated cis- 

 ternae. This dilation is more marked in 

 the middle of the cell and in the basal re- 

 gion (Fig. 6.37) where the dilated cisternae 

 appear as intercommunicating channels in 

 which the cytoplasmic matrix forms iso- 

 lated profiles or strands containing mito- 

 chondria and other organelles. The matrix 

 is more abundant in the Golgi region and 

 protrudes from the luminal margin of the 

 cells as microprojections covered by tlu; 

 cell membrane. 



Alkaline phosphatase activity is localized 

 in the stroma (Bern, 1949a, 1951 ; Brandes 



and Bourne, 1954; Bern, Alfert and Blair, 

 1957) ; acid phosphatase activity (Brandes 

 and Bourne, 1954) is found in the epithe- 

 lium and is particularly strong in the Golgi 

 zone. Brandes and Bourne (1954) and Bern, 

 Alfert and Blair (1957) reported PAS-posi- 

 tive reactions in the epithelial cells in the 

 Golgi region and apical cytoplasm, and in- 

 tense reactions in luminal secretion, base- 

 ment membrane, and stroma. Sulfhydryl 

 and disulfide reactions are evident in lumi- 

 nal secretion, epithelium (especially in the 

 a]ucal region), basement membrane, and 

 fibromuscular tissue. The reactions are 

 stronger than in the ventral prostate. Bern, 

 Alfert and Blair (1957) found high con- 



