Credit Shontell L, Benghuzzi Hamed A, Tucci Michelle, Farah Ibrahim, Cameron Joseph A
Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39204, USA.
Biomed Sci Instrum. 2003;39:511-6.
Studies have shown that endogenous estrogen minimized cellular injury at the organ level; however, very little research was done to determine the effects of endogenous androgens such as Testosterone (T), Dihydrotestosterone, (DHT), and Androstenedione (AED) on the cardiovascular system at the cellular level. Studies targeted at establishing such effects will broaden our understanding of the roles played by these male steroid hormones on the cardiovascular system. Our objective therefore was to (1) Use a Rat model and sustained delivery of physiological levels of these hormones to and (2) evaluate pathophysiological effects on the dorsal aorta and renal vessels. Sprague Dawley rats equally divided into four groups (n = 4) were included in the study. Group 1 animals served as control, groups II, III, and IV were treated with TCPL drug delivery devices containing 40 mg each of T, DHT, and AED, respectively. Animals were sacrificed after 90 days of exposure. Aorta and renal vessels were stained with hemotoxylin and eosin for histopathological evaluation. Results showed that TCPL drug delivery systems released 5 ng/ml/day of T, and 2 ng/ml/day of DHT and AED. After 90 days and evaluating each group, the renal arteries showed that groups exposed to T, DHT and AED showed an increase in the width of the measured arteries compared to the control group. The renal arteries exposed to AED showed the most significant increase in width. Compared to the dorsal aorta of the control group, T treated animals had decreased dorsal aorta width. The results revealed the following: (i) the exposure of sustained levels of androgenic hormones exhibited increased width of the renal arteries compared to the control animals; (ii) animals treated with sustained delivery of T had a decreased aortic width when compared to control animals; and (iii) anabolic receptors may be differentially expressed in the dorsal aorta and renal vessels of adult male rats.
