Promoting effects of Chinese pangolin and wild pink medicines on the mammary gland development in immature mice.

The effects of the mixture of crude aqueous extracts from Chinese pangolin and wild pink (C+P), traditional Chinese medicine, on the proliferation and differentiation of mammary gland epithelium in intact and ovariectomized immature mice were investigated by light and electron microscopy and BrdU immunohistochemistry. Although there were no significant differences in mammary gland fat pad and parenchyma areas between the intact experimental groups, the numbers of duct branchings and buds were significantly larger in the C+W treated mice than in the control mice. The ratio of BrdU immunopositive cells to total epithelial cells was higher in C+W treated intact mice.

Strain differences in morphometrical characteristics of rat kidneys.

To clarify the strain differences in the morphology of the rat kidneys, we investigated the morphometrical characteristics of the kidneys of Slc:Wistar, Slc:SD, and F344/NSlc rats. The diameter of the renal corpuscles in female F344/N rats is smaller than that in female Wistar rats. Although sex differences (males>females) were shown in SD and F344/N rats, no effects of castration were detected in any of the groups.

Age-related morphological changes in kidneys of SPF C57BL/6Cr mice maintained under controlled conditions.

Age-related morphological changes were examined in the kidneys of inbred C57BL/6Cr mice maintained in a controlled environment. The specific pathogen free status of animals used in the present study was confirmed by microbiological monitoring. Kidneys were histologically and histometrically investigated at 3, 5, 12, 15, 24 and 27-months-old.

Giant lysosomes in the renal proximal tubules--a morphological characteristic of DBA/2 and DBA/1 mouse kidneys.

The DBA/2Cr mouse is characterized by the presence of giant lysosomes located in the proximal convoluted tubules of males and proximal straight tubules of females. However, it remains unclear whether these giant lysosomes in the proximal tubules are characteristic of DBA/2Cr specifically, or are common to other DBA/2 substrains and DBA/1. The present study investigated the morphology of kidneys from DBA/2CrSlc, DBA/2JJcl, DBA/2NCrj and DBA/1JNCrj mice of both sexes.

Effects of sex hormones on the development of giant lysosomes in the proximal tubules of DBA/2Cr mouse kidney.

The DBA/2Cr mouse strain is characterized by giant lysosomes that are located in the proximal convoluted tubules of males and in the proximal straight tubules of females. In the present study, we used light microscopy and electron microscopy to investigate the effects of sex hormones on the development of these giant lysosomes. In the proximal convoluted tubules of males, giant lysosomes (large vacuolar structures observed under light microscopy) disappeared after orchiectomy but reappeared after testosterone treatment.