The effects of estradiol-17 beta on the ultrastructure and subcellular distribution of zinc in the prostatic epithelium of castrated rats.

Male Sprague-Dawley rats, previously castrated for a 7-day period, were maintained on either a low or high dose of estradiol-17 beta for 3 days. Some areas of the prostatic epithelium in the lateral lobe exhibited the ultrastructural characteristics of the untreated, intact animals in response to the small dose of estrogen. The ventral lobe by comparison was not similarly affected. This stimulation in the lateral prostate was not reflected by comparable changes in the subcellular distribution of zinc.