| Abstract: | Administration for different doses of cyproterone acetate (CPA) to male hamsters for 5 weeks slows down the growth of the adrenals and the increase in body weight. This effect is still present 4 weeks after cessation of CPA treatment, though some recovery can be seen. Histological and histometrical evaluations confirm an atrophy of the adrenal, particularly in the zona fasciculata and in higher doses also in the zona reticularis. After operative castration it is the zona reticularis which shows the most marked atrophic changes. It is therefore concluded, that CPA possesses besides its anti-androgenic properties an inhibiting corticoid-like effect on the adreno-pituitary feed-back mechanism. |
