Histomorphological age changes and ultrastructural characteristics of the preputial and clitoral glands of mice.

The preputial and clitoral glands of 111-114-week-old B6C3F1-mice from a carcinogenesis experiment showed histomorphological characteristics. The lesions were considered to be spontaneous age changes, because the type, incidence and severity do not distinguish treated animals from controls. The most common findings were atrophy of the acini, lymphocytic infiltrates and hyperplasia of the squamous cell epithelium. Less frequently abscesses, fibrosis following a possible inflammatory process, an increase in the amount of subepithelial connective tissue, cystic dilatation of the central duct or secondary malignant lymphocytic infiltration were found. Neoplasms were not diagnosed. Similar lesions were found in the preputial- and clitoral glands of untreated 75-week-old mice, which were investigated for comparison. No abnormal histomorphological findings were found in the glands of 10-week-old mice. Ultrastructural characteristics of the mouse preputial and clitoral glands are dense bodies in the cytoplasm and intramitochondrial granules, which decreases in number with age.