Title | Testosterone-induced apoptosis in rat testis and seminal vesicles | |
Authors | H. Frangou and S. Massouridou
Department of General Biology, Medical School, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece |
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Citation | Frangou, H., Masouridou, S.: Testosterone-induced apoptosis in rat testis and seminal vesicles, Epitheorese Klin. Farmakol. Farmakokinet. 21(3): 251-255 (2007) | |
Publication Date | Accepted for publication (Final version): September 10, 2007 | |
Full Text Language | English | |
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Keywords | Apoptosis, Caspase-3, testosterone, testis, seminal vesicles. | |
Other Terms | review article | |
Summary | Apoptosis is an important physiological process that has been associated with ageing. It has been characterized by various morphological and biochemical changes at different cellular levels which result in a physiological elimination of unwanted cells and protect the organs against cancer or hypertrophy. It has been demonstrated that apoptosis is a normal, hormonally controlled phenomenon in the adult human testis. We studied the effects of testosterone on apoptosis by determining the caspase-3 activity in rat testis and seminal vesicles following different doses administration at different ages. All rats used in our experiments were male (Wistar) bred in our colony. Group A (controls) was formed by 3 months old rats and group B by 9 months old. In addition, every group was divided further in subgroups. A1 and B1 subgroups constituted the controls; A2, B2 subgroups received at once intramuscular injection of testosterone (10 mg/kg b.w), and A3, B3 subgroups received testosterone injection (20 mg/kg b.w.). Animals were sacrificed 5 days later, seminal vesicles were rapidly removed, and after appropriate manipulation, their content were homogenized with a Potter Elvehjem homogenizer in isotonic solution of KCl (final tissue concentration: 1 g/50 ml KCl 0.15 M). Caspase-3 activity was determined according to a colorimetric assay kit (Sigma) with minor modifications, based on the hydrolysis of the peptide substrate acetyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp p-nitroaniline (pNA) moiety. Absorbance was measured at 405 nm, and the caspase-3 activity was calculated in µmol pNA released per min per ml, after 90 minutes of incubation in colorimetric caspase substrate (Acetyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-pNA), at 37 C. In our experiments we found enhanced caspase-3 activity in rat testis (3 months old animals) after treatment with lower testosterone dose. In contrast, this activity was found increased following the highest testosterone dose in seminal vesicles. Based on these observations, we assume that testosterone may contribute and can regulate the apoptotic process in rat testis and seminal vesicles via caspase-3 pathway. | |
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