MORPHOMETRIC EVALUATION OF RAT-LIVER AFTER CASTRATION - EFFECTS OF TESTOSTERONE

In men and animals subject to orchiectomy, varying degrees of hypotrop hy have often been observed, even involving non-reproductive organs, l iver hypotrophy appears particularly interesting in view oi the metabo lic alterations that could possibly ensue. We have applied the morphom etric approach to the study of this kind of hypotrophy in castrated ra ts and in animals receiving a substitutive, testosterone-based treatme nt alter castration. The morphometric model adopted was built on the b asis oi an interactive approach, using an image analyser (IBAS) with s pecially-designed software, and consists ol number and size, as well a s surface and volume fractions, oi hepatocytes, their nuclei, cytoplas m, and the relevant relation to the sinusoidal bed. The effects of cas tration were revealed by a reduction oi the mean volume oi hepatocytes , associated with a reduction of the sinusoidal bed. Such reduction is correspondingly associated with an increase oi the extraparenchymal c omponents (endothelia, Glisson capsule). In the testosterone-treated g roup, while no appreciable symptoms oi retrieval were yet observable i n the volume of hepatocytes, the sinusoidal bed was instead superimpos able onto the control group data as far as both volume and blood/hepat ocyte interlace were concerned. in the castrated animals the number oi hepatocytes per mm(3) was found to be increased. The group of testost erone-administered rats also showed a high level for this parameter wh ich, associated with the spread of the capillary bed, could be compati ble with a picture of precocious hyperplastic response to the therapy. The correlation between the available morphometric data and the bioch emical results which are being currently sought will further clarify t he meaning of this phenomenon.