Effect of ovariectomy and of estrogen treatment on the adrenal gland and body weight in rats
Saruhan, B.G.; Ozdemir, N.
Saudi Medical Journal 26(11): 1705-1709
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 0379-5284 PMID: 16311652 Document Number: 588158
Objectives: To determine the effect of oestrogen on adrenal gland histology, and to ascertain whether or not oestrogen regulates body and adrenal gland wet weight gain in the ovariectomized rat model. Two experiments investigated the effects of ovariectomy and oestrogen replacement on the body and adrenal gland weight. Methods: We used 36 female Wistar Albino rats in this study. The study took placed in the Department of Medical Science Application and Research Centre of Dicle University, Diyarbakir, Turkey, in 2002. Group 1 (control group) received no ovariectomy; all animals in the other groups were bilaterally ovariectomized and kept for 60 days. We designated group 2 and 3 as sham-operated groups and bilaterally ovariectomized with group 3 receiving estradiol. Paraffin sections of the rats' adrenal glands were obtained by routine histological methods, and stained them with hematoxylin-eosin. We later evaluated the stained sections under a light microscope. Results: The body weight was higher in the ovariectomized rats compared to the control groups. Ovariectomy did not result in significant changes in the wet weight of the adrenal gland. Furthermore, body weight increased after oestrogen therapy, and the wet weight of the adrenal gland increased in the oestrogen group. It was obtained in the sham-operated group that ovariectomy resulted in a decrease in the activity of the adrenal cortex. In the sham-operated and oestrogen group, we observed a prominent capsule, expanded zona glomerulosa cells, regular parallel columns in zona fasciculata and there was an increased vascularization in the medulla, after the oestrogen treatment. Conclusion: We determined that bilateral ovariectomy can result in a decrease in the activity of the adrenal cortex. In contrast, estradiol injection can cause a significant increase in the activity of the adrenal cortex and medulla.