[A study of the androgenic activity of anti-androgen]

To investigate the androgenic activity of steroidal and nonsteroidal anti-androgens, the effect of several compounds on some parameters as an androgenic activity was measured in the ventral prostate (VP) and seminal vesicle gland (SV) of castrated male rats. Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity, arginase activity, androgen receptor (AR) in cytosol and nucleus, histological examination and weight of accessory sex organs were used as parameters for androgenic activity. The ventral prostate weight was increased by the administration of not only steroidal anti-androgen, medroxyprogesterone (MPA), chlormadinone acetate (CMA) and cyproterone acetate (CPA), but also estradiol-17 beta(E2) and nonsteroidal anti-androgen, AA 560. However flutamide (Flu) failed to increase VP weight. In SV, the tendency to increase weight by the administration of these compounds was also observed. However, it was not obvious as in VP. It was proven by the measurement of the parameters that all tested compounds except Flu had an androgenic activity. It seems that the androgenic activity was caused by a different mechanism because the parameter response to the administrated compounds was not identical.