Effects of testosterone and estradiol on stress-induced adrenal and hippocampal weight changes in female rats.

Objective: To examine the impact of circulating testosterone (T) and the T/Estradiol (T/Ediol) ratio on chronic stress-induced changes of adrenal and hippocampal weight during proestrus (PE) and estrus (E) in female rats.

Design: Stress was composed of repeated vaginal smear screening (VSS) and measured by the emotional reactivity score (ERS). Adrenal and hippocampal weight and the T, Ediol and T/Ediol ratio were assessed in PE and E controls as well as 20 h after sham or left adrenalectomy performed on diestrus-2 (DE-2) and PE, respectively.

The impact of the hormonal milieu and stress-associated hypothalamic dopaminergic activation on the rapid compensatory adrenal growth in cycling female rats.

Objective: We sought to investigate the impact of emotional and surgical stress applied in two hormonally different estrous-cycle phases as well as the hypothalamic dopaminergic involvement on the rapid compensatory adrenal growth (CAG) and the individual adrenal growth (IAG) in rats.

Design: After surgery for left and sham adrenalectomy (Adx) carried out on either diestrus-2 (DE-2) or proestrus (PE), CAG and IAG were evaluated in PE or estrus (E), respectively. Hypothalamic dopaminergic activity was also assessed by measuring dopamine (DA) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) levels in DE-2, PE and E in controls and in PE and E in sham and left adrenalectomized rats.

Compensatory adrenal growth in relation to stress of surgery and estradiol in adult male rats.

ACTH infusion at the time of unilateral adrenalectomy inhibits the early rapid compensatory growth (CAG) in the remaining adrenal. We examined the hypothesis that different duration of surgery and/or the enhanced response to the stress of surgery, induced by estradiol treatment, might modify CAG. Adult male rats untreated, estradiol benzoate treated (EB) 300 microg/kg or vehicle treated (VE) for 3 days, were Sham or left adrenalectomized after 18 to 20 min procedure (prolonged surgery) or after 14 to 16 min procedure (short surgery).

Reversible plasma testosterone levels reduction after gentamicin administration and freund's adjuvant arthritis in rats.

The present study was undertaken in order to investigate the influence of gentamicin on plasma testosterone levels of healthy and with Freund's adjuvant arthritis rats. Gentamicin (40 mg/day for 4 days) induced significant decrease of testosterone levels in comparison with the control group (P<0.025).

Chronic mild stress impact: are females more vulnerable?

Despite the knowledge that women are more susceptible than men to stress-related mental illness, such as major depression, there is no comprehensive estimation of the role of gender in the detrimental effects of chronic stress that might cause depression. Sex differences regarding the association of behavioral parameters with serotonergic and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activities were investigated in the chronic mild stress model of depression. Additionally, the impact of chronic mild stress exposure on an additional/novel short-term stressful procedure, such as the forced swim test was examined in male and female rats.