Abstract

The effects of combined administration of ethinylestradiol (E) and testosterone (T) were studied in castrated Sprague-Dawley rats. The hormones E and T were administered three times weekly on alternate days, subcutaneously in the inguinal region for 4 weeks, 30 days after castration. E- treated animals received injections of 3 μg/kg body weight (B.W), T- treated animals received 30 mg/kg B.W., combined testosterone and ethinylestradiol (T & E) - treated animals received injections of 30 mg/kg B.W. of T and 2 μg/kg B.W. of E. Control animals - were in two groups, castrated and intact both received injections of 5 ml/kg B.W. of normal saline. i) The T-treated prostate weight was significantly higher than in castrated control (P<0.05). (ii) The E- alone treated prostate weight was not significantly different from castrated control (P b0.05). iii) The combined T and E-treated prostate weight was significantly higher than in castrated control (P<0.05). Morphological findings: in the combined T and E-treated, the amount of connective tissue was well marked, there was an increase in the thickness of the epithelium and the size of the oval acini, relative to T-alone treated or the intact control. E-alone did not elicit any appreciable effect on the prostate, different from the castrated control. This finding demonstrates a synergistic effect of E on the prostate when administered along with T and also suggests that E may be involved in the pathophysiology of the abnormal enlargement of prostate gland.tc \l4 " (i) The T-treated and combined T and E-treated prostate weight were significantly higher  (P<0.05) than in castrated control.  (ii) The E-treated prostate weight was not significantly different (P <0.05) from castrated control. (iii)  In the combined T and E-treated prostate, the amount of connective tissue was well marked. The size of the oval acini, and the epithelium were increased relative to T-alone treated or the intact control.  These findings demonstrate the morphological changes induced by E on the prostate when administered along with T and also suggest that E may be involved in the pathophysiology of the postate gland.

Key words:  Prostate, castration, testosterone, ethinylestradioltc \l3 "Key Words: Prostate, Castration, Testosterone, Ethinylestradiol, histology.