Wakade A R, Garcia A G, Kirpekar S M
J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1975 May;193(2):424-34.
Wet weights of vas deferens, seminal vesicle and coagulating gland were reduced by almost 80 to 90% 10 weeks after castration. Endogenous norepinephrine content and dopamine-beta-hydroxylas activity of these tissues were also reduced to the same degree. One week after castration there was approximately a 50% loss in the weight of all three organs. However, this was accompanied by an equal reduction in norepinephrine content and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity only in the vas deferens. Two weeks later the degree of reductions in wet weight, norepinephrine content and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity was almost identical for all three organs. Treatment of 40-day castrate rats with testosterone (10 mg/kg s.c.) not only restored the wet weights of the internal sex organs to normal but their norepinephrine content and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity as well. Castration of immature rats (10-14 days old) resulted in retardation of growth of the vas deferens and seminal vesicle by 90-95%, and similar reductions in norepinephrin content and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity, when compared to the tissues of control littermates on the 90th postoperative day. Histological examination of normal and castrate rats indicated that, along with a reduction in epithelial cells, the smooth muscle cells of the vas deferens, seminal vesicle and coagulating gland was markedly reduce in size as well. Administration of testosterone completely reversed these changes. Furthermore, deoxyribonucleic acid content of the seminal vesicle and coagulating gland was reduced by 50% after castration and then restored to control level after testosterone treatment. Taken together, it seems that atrophy of the internal sex organs following castration is a combined effect of reduction in size and number of smooth muscle cells. Therefore, it is concluded that any alteration in the size of smooth muscle cells or loss of such cells of the internal sex organs indirectly influences their sympathetic nerves in such a manner that norepinephrine concentrations, and thereby the density of innervation, are maintained at normal levels.
去势10周后，输精管、精囊和凝固腺的湿重减少了近80%至90%。这些组织中的内源性去甲肾上腺素含量和多巴胺-β-羟化酶活性也降低到相同程度。去势1周后，所有三个器官的重量大约损失了50%。然而，只有输精管中的去甲肾上腺素含量和多巴胺-β-羟化酶活性有同等程度的降低。两周后，所有三个器官的湿重、去甲肾上腺素含量和多巴胺-β-羟化酶活性的降低程度几乎相同。用睾酮（10mg/kg皮下注射）治疗去势40天的大鼠，不仅使内生殖器的湿重恢复正常，而且使它们的去甲肾上腺素含量和多巴胺-β-羟化酶活性也恢复正常。对未成熟大鼠（10 - 14日龄）进行去势，与术后第90天对照同窝仔鼠的组织相比，输精管和精囊的生长迟缓了90% - 95%，去甲肾上腺素含量和多巴胺-β-羟化酶活性也有类似程度的降低。对正常和去势大鼠的组织学检查表明，除上皮细胞减少外，输精管、精囊和凝固腺的平滑肌细胞大小也明显减小。给予睾酮可完全逆转这些变化。此外，去势后精囊和凝固腺的脱氧核糖核酸含量降低了50%，睾酮治疗后恢复到对照水平。综上所述，去势后内生殖器的萎缩是平滑肌细胞大小和数量减少的综合作用。因此，可以得出结论，内生殖器平滑肌细胞大小的任何改变或此类细胞的丧失，会以这样一种方式间接影响其交感神经，即去甲肾上腺素浓度以及神经支配密度维持在正常水平。
