The influence of male sex hormone upon the morphological changes of endocrine glands in rabbits fed on lanolin mixed diet

Part II: Sprarenal glands

Abstract

I have been making observations on the histopathological changes on all the endocrine organs in rabbits, totally orchidectiomized and in rabbits whose testicular function had been stimulated by means of repeated injections of testicular hormone, and those animals being heavily overfed with lipoid substance.
Experimental methol. 1) The animale for this experiment. Healthy male rabbits weighing about 2kg.
2) Lipoid diet. Anhydrous lanolin, 2 gram given by the month daily in their ordinary food.
3) Animal group. a) Control (lanolin fed rabbits). b) Testicular hypofunction group (Ianolin fed rabbits with total castration). c) Testicular hyperfunction groin (lanolin fed rabbits with daily intramuscular injection of 0.5ccm(15 c.u.) Enarmon).
The above mentioned 3 groups were killed at intervals of 40 days, 70 days and 120 days and the endocrine organs were sectioned and stained histologically.
4) Stains. The haematoxylin-eosin stain, van Gieson stain, Weigert elastic fibre stain, sudan III stain and vitamin C stain (Szent-Györgyis method) for hypophysis and suprarenal gland.
Part II. Suparenal gland.
The gland increased in weight remarkably in the lanolin fed group after 70 days, 120 days and 40 days duration. Histologically the cortex hypertrophied intensifying according to the length of the experiment, the fascicular layer showed more hypertrophied epithelium, cellular disorder and vascular congestion. Fatty degeneration and necrobiosis were noted at the end of the experiment. The vitamin C granules were decreased in this stage.
The lanolin fed totally castrated group showed a similar increase in the organ, the cortex was hypertrophied, the fascicular layer showed fatty degeneration up to necrosis of the epithelium, in some places a number of new capillaries and marked fatty degeneration were observed. The vitamin C granules were increased in the 40 and 70 day group compared with the controls.
The lanolin fed with “Enarmon” injected group showed a similar increase in the weight of the organs and very slight histological changes, in the advanced stage some hypertrophic changes of the interstitial tissues were observed. The vitamin C granules were decreased in every stage compared with the controls.