The effect of castration and androgen treatment on glomerular volume in mice.

The mouse kidney is specially responsive to the withdrawal or administration of androgens. Castration markedly reduces renal weight in male mice, whereas androgen treatment restores normal kidney size. The present study demonstrates that these changes in whole kidney size are accompanied by parallel changes in total glomerular volume. The results indicate that the individual glomeruli change their volume during the experiments. The observed changes in the kidney weight and total volume of glomeruli after castration did not affect the plasma level of creatinine. Smaller kidney with less total volume of glomeruli can preserve internal environment.