• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.34-44
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• 1990

The study was carried out to elucidate the effects of ovarian function on the thyroid gland, adrenal gland and uterus in female rats. One hundred and forty-four mature female rats were allotted into the three groups ; ovariectomized group, estradiol treated group and intact control group. The ovaries of 48 heads of rats were completely removed. Forty eight heads of rats were administered with $200{\mu}g$ of estradiol benzoate every 48 hours. Serum estradiol-$17{\beta}$ and progesterone levels were determined with radioimmunoassay method at 3, 6, 12, 24 hours and 5, 10, 15 days after treatment. The rats were necropsied to measure weights of thyroid gland, adrenal gland and uterus and to examine the histological changes in the organs. The results obtained were as follows ; 1. Serum estradiol-$17{\beta}$ levels were rapidly decreased below 27.20pg/ml 18 hours after ovariectomy. In estradiol treated rats the levels were rapidly increased 18 hours after treatment, but thereafter slowly decreased. The significant differences in the estradiol level were found between the group at every observation time. 2. Serum progesterone levels were significantly decreased after ovariectomy and estradiol injection. The lowest level was found in the group of ovariectomized rats. 3. The weights of thyroid glands decreased in ovariectomized rats rather than in intact rats 5 days after treatment. The weights tended to increase after estradiol injection but significant differences between the groups were seen on 10th and 15th days. 4. In the histological findings of thyroid glands, follicular epithelial cells were changed to be squamous 5 days after ovariectomy and accompanied pyknosis 10 days and karyorrhexis 15 days after ovariectomy. On the contrary follicular epithelial cells were changed to be columnar with hypertrophy 10 days after estradiol injection. 5. The significant differences in adrenal gland weights were recognized between all the groups 5 and 15 days after treatment in ovariectomized rats were lighter than intact rats and the adrenal gland weights were rather heavier in estradiol treated rats. 6. The days after ovariectomy the adrenal glands were atrophied accompanying with pyknosis in the cortical cells of zona fasciculata. The cells in zona fasciculata and zona reticularis started to hypertrophy 5 days after estradiol injection, but no changes were found in the zona glomerulosa of adrenal cortex and in the adrenal medulla. 7. The significant differences in uterus weights were recognized between the groups at each observation time. After ovariectomy the uterus weights decreased rapidly but after estradiol injection they increased rapidly. 8. Through histological examination of uterus, the atrophy and degeneration started to occur in endometrium and lamina propria 12 hours after ovariectomy, and in myometrium one day after ovariectomy, and the changes progressed rapidly after that. On the contrary, the myometrium was proliferated and hypertrophied from 12 hours after estradiol-$17{\beta}$ injection.