EFFECTS OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF ESTROGEN ON THE CONNECTIVE TISSUES OF THE GENITAL TRACT OF THE RAT1

Abstract

By the use of a histological method which differentiates the 2 connective tissues, reticulum and collagen, the adm. of large doses of estradiol benzoate to immature rats for 15 days induced a hastening of the transformation of reticulum into collagen and an intensification in the deposition of collagenous tissue in the uterus and cervix, with the formation of coarser, denser fibers than were present in the organs of the littermate controls. Changes of a lesser degree occurred in the vagina. The inj. of stilbestrol into young castrated rats for the same period produced similar alterations. Prolonged, uninterrupted adm. of estrogenic hormone to normal rats further resulted in change in the architectural pattern of the collagenous tissue from the characteristic one of a meshwork of fibers to a dense, almost homogeneous sheet of fine fibrils. Associated with this was a prominent decrease in number and shrinkage of the cellular components, as estimated from sections stained by the Masson trichrome technique. In general, it appeared that long-continued treatment with estrogen hastened aging processes in the genital tract.