The effect of sexual hormones on the lipid and proteinaceous secretion of the rat preputial sebaceous gland.

The diameters of Sudan Black B stained sebum vesicles and acid hematein stained perinuclear granules, and the numerical density of the latter, were determined in mature sebaceous preputial cells from normal male and female rats, testosterone-treated female rats and estradiol-treated male rats. Statistical analysis by Student's t-test showed that the diameter of lipid droplets was significantly higher in male than in female controls and that testosterone increased female values up to make control levels. Estradiol treatment decreased male values to levels below those of normal male and female controls and of testosterone-treated female rats. Diameters of perinuclear granules did not vary among animal groups but their numerical density was larger in testosterone treated than in normal female rats or estradiol treated male rats. Lipid droplet sizes and perinuclear granule numbers are thus increased by androgens and decreased by estrogens, which was interpreted an meaning that sexual hormones do not only act on sebaceous cell multiplication or turnover time as previously known, but also on the production of lipid and the output of beta-glucuronidase containing granules in this gland.