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  • Title: Effects of testosterone and estradiol on stress-induced adrenal and hippocampal weight changes in female rats.
    Author: Sfikakis A, Pitychoutis PM, Tsouma A, Messari I, Papadopoulou-Daifoti Z.
    Journal: Hormones (Athens); 2014; 13(1):119-30. PubMed ID: 24722133.
    Abstract:
    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. T was measured in ovariectomized (OVX) rats treated with estradiol benzoate (EB) or vehicle (VEH) and in non-OVX EB-treated rats. RESULTS: In OVX rats EB treatment increased adrenal weight and T levels. After separation of VEH- and EB-treated rats into the low and high T-range (below and above the mean, respectively), it was observed that higher T was accompanied by higher adrenal weight in EB- compared to VEH-treated rats only in the low T-range. Non-OVX EB-treated rats with high T had lower adrenal weight compared to low T. Cycling rats assigned to the high T-range presented higher T/Ediol ratio but similar ERS and Ediol levels compared to rats in the low T-range, and were characterized by reduced adrenal weight, higher hippocampal weight and prevalence of PE versus E. CONCLUSIONS: High T and high T/Ediol ratios are prominent in PE compared to E and exert a protective effect on hippocampal neuronal degeneration after similar chronic stress through T-mediated lessening of stress response thus counteracting the stress-promoting effects of Ediol.
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