[Effect of testosterone on the in vitro proliferation of bone marrow granulocyte-macrophage cells (CFU-GM). II. Observations in hypogonadal subjects].

CFU-GM cultures in agar double layers were performed from bone marrow unfractionated cells of four subjects with hypogonadism, before and 24 hours after acute administration of 100 mg of testosterone propionate (Tp). Cell aggregates (CA) of CFU-GM were classified according to their sizes (P1 = 3-10 cells; P2 = 11-30; P3 = 31-50; P4 = over 50 cells) and according to their appearance time in culture (CA-A: appearing at the 7th day; CA-C: appearing only at the 12th day). The total of proliferating progenitors (tPP) also embraces CA present, in the same microscopic field, on both scoring times (CA-B). In all hypogonadal men studied, the treatment with Tp yielded increase of tPP (on the average of 65%) and increase of the total number of cells appeared in culture (TCP, increase on the average of 82%) calculated as product [CA number] x [average size of CA]. These results are in agreement with those already observed by us in CFU-GM cultures of normal subjects. Yet it is interesting to note that, while in normal subjects the exogenous testosterone effect expresses itself with a higher increase of CFU-GM number in the second interval of culture (CA-C), in hypogonadal men the CFU-GM number increase occurs mostly in the first period of the culture (CA-A).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)