ACCESSORY MAMMALIAN REPRODUCTIVK GLANDS 



419 



are under control of andi'ogcnic hormones 

 of testicular origin. Leblond (1950) stated 

 that the presence of PAS-positive granules 

 in the Golgi region supjiorts the concept of 

 participation of the Golgi apparatus in the 

 secretory process. Brandes and Portela 

 (1960b) suggested that the vesicles and 

 vacuoles in the Golgi zone might represent 

 presecretory or secretory material. The pos- 

 sibility that collapse of ergastoplasmic sacs 

 after gonadectomy might be correlated with 

 reduction in PAS-positive secretory mate- 

 rial was proposed by Harkin (1957a). 



Alkaline and acid phosphatase activity is 

 also found in the Golgi region, but the sig- 

 nificance of this localization is not clear. 

 Harkin (1957a) suggested that reduction in 

 acid phosphatase activity following castra- 

 tion might be correlated with the decrease 

 in numbers of mitochondria. 



The histochemical pattern of enzyme ac- 

 tivity has been discussed by Brandes and 

 Bourne (1954), and the functional signifi- 

 cance of distribution of epithelial and stro- 

 mal alkaline phosphatase activity has been 

 treated by Bern (1949a). 



Cytoplasmic basophilia that was abol- 

 ished by ribonuclease was demonstrated in 

 the epithelial cells of the rat seminal vesicle 

 (Melampy and Cavazos, 1953). In the 

 mouse seminal vesicle, Deane and Porter 

 (1959) found cytoplasmic basophilia (all 

 of which was attributable to ribonucleic 

 acid) localized in regions which corre- 

 sponded to the distribution of ergastoplas- 

 mic membranes with their associated par- 

 ticles of presumed ribonucleoprotein. The 

 relative number of particles was apparentlj^ 

 reduced after one week of castration, and 

 increased with testosterone propionate ad- 

 ministration to normal males. These 

 changes were not considered marked enough 

 to account for the pronounced reduction in 

 basophilia following gonadectomy, and the 

 increase with androgenic hormone treat- 

 ment of normal males. 



Rixon and Whitfield (1959) found high 

 concentrations of zinc, lipid, and basophilic 

 material in a luminal border organelle in 

 the lateral prostate of rats. Silver staining 

 demonstrated fibrils, and it was suggested 

 that zinc may be involved in the ergasto- 

 plasmic reticulum, possibly with lipopro- 



tein, and would be associated with the 

 microsome fraction in homogenatcs. 



In the discussion of changes in structure 

 and histochemical localizations of sub- 

 stances after gonadectomy and with hor- 

 mone administration, no specific mention 

 was made of differences in response among 

 the glands. There arc, however, pronounced 

 differences in rate of regression following 

 withdrawal of testicular hormone, and in 

 rate and degree of response to administered 

 androgen. These differences in hormone 

 sensitivity or threshold have been estab- 

 lished by such end points as changes in 

 histologic structure, weight (which includes 

 increase in mass of cells and accumulation 

 and storage of secretion), and secretion of 

 specific substances such as fructose and 

 citric acid (Mann, 1954a). In order of 

 sensitivity they are first, secretory function, 

 second, histologic structure, and finally, 

 weight, whicli is frecjuently used as an end 

 point (Dorfman and Shipley, 1956). 



Responsiveness of the epithelial cells de- 

 pends on many factors and varies with spe- 

 cific glands, age of the animal, genetic 

 strain, and species. A few examples will 

 illustrate these points. Following castration 

 of adult rats the seminal vesicles retrogress 

 more rapidly than the ventral prostate and 

 recjuire higher doses of testosterone propi- 

 onate to restore normal histological struc- 

 ture (Price, 1944a). The ability of the 

 seminal vesicles and the ventral ])rostate 

 in young rats to respond to testosterone 

 propionate increases with age to a peak 

 which is specific for the organ (Price and 

 Ortiz, 1944; Price, 1947). This is true also 

 for the female prostate (Price, 1944b) and 

 the accessory glands in young male ham- 

 sters (Ortiz,' 1947). The effect of age on 

 responsiveness in the mouse ventral pros- 

 tate was studied by Lasnitzki ( 1955a ) who 

 cultured glands from mice 4 to 6 weeks of 

 age and 6 months old in normal control me- 

 dium and in the presence of testosterone 

 propionate. Young prostates regressed on 

 the control medium but retained normal 

 histologic structure when the hormone was 

 added. In the control medium, older glands 

 maintained normal structure and became 

 hyperplastic with addition of the androgen. 

 Franks (1959) also found differences re- 



