The zebra finch syrinx (sound production organ) is a sexually dimorphic component of the song system. Only male zebra finches sing, and in parallel, the overall mass and size of fibers in the two largest syrinx muscles are greater in males than females. Despite these obvious sexual dimorphisms, little is known about the role of steroid hormones in the maintenance of the structure and/or functio...

Oxytocin (OT) is released by the posterior pituitary during male orgasm and is supposed to participate in the ejaculatory process. We now report evidence demonstrating the presence of an OT receptor gene (real-time RT-PCR and Northern blot) and protein (immunohistochemistry, Western blot, and binding studies) expression in the rabbit and human corpus cavernosum (CC) and its possible involvement...

Endocrine disrupting chemicals can induce intersex animals in amphibians and fish. Our previous study in frogs demonstrated that chemically-induced intersex animals can display different hepatic profiles of transcript levels than normal animals. In this study, we extend the observations to the developing frog brain. We investigated the effects of finasteride and fadrozole known to induce female...

BACKGROUND Microbial transformation of steroids has been extensively used for the synthesis of steroidal drugs, that often yield novel analogues, not easy to obtain by chemical synthesis. We report here fungal transformation of a synthetic steroidal drug, exemestane, used for the treatment of breast cancer and function through inhibition of aromatase enzyme. RESULTS Microbial transformation o...

To study the long-term effects of estrogen deprivation on breast cancer, MCF-7Ca human estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells stably transfected with human aromatase gene were cultured in the steroid-depleted medium for 6 to 8 months until they had acquired the ability to grow. Proliferation of these cells (UMB-1Ca) was accompanied by increased expression of human epidermal growth facto...

The effects of androgen on the density of spine synapses on pyramidal neurons in the CA1 area of the hippocampus were studied in ovariectomized (OVX) adult female rats. Treatment of OVX rats with testosterone propionate (TP; 500 microg/d, s.c., 2 d) significantly increased spine synapse density (from 0.661 +/- 0.016 spine synapse/microm3 in OVX rats to 1.081 +/- 0.018 spine synapse/microm3 afte...

There is concern regarding oil sands process water (OSPW) produced by the oil sands industry in Alberta, Canada. Little is known about the potential for OSPW, and naphthenic acids (NAs), which are the primary persistent and toxic constituents of OSPW, to affect endocrine systems. Although ozonation significantly reduces concentrations of NAs and OSPW toxicity, it was hypothesized that oxidation...

To study the long-term effects of estrogen deprivation on breast cancer, MCF-7Ca human estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer cells stably transfected with human aromatase gene were cultured in the steroid-depleted medium for 6 to 8 months until they had acquired the ability to grow. Proliferation of these cells (UMB-1Ca) was accompanied by increased expression of human epidermal growth facto...

Background and aims Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are antidepressants increasingly prescribed against depression during and after pregnancy. However, these compounds cross the placenta and are found in breast milk, thus reaching, and possibly affecting, the fetus and infant during critical developmental stages. Fluoxetine (FLX), a widely used SSRI, can interfere with estrogen ...