Morphological Features of External Genitalia in Hypospadiac Rat Model: Three-Dimensional Analysis

The study examined the formation of external genitalia in a hypospadiac rat model using 3-dimensional analysis. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were administered flutamide, an androgen receptor blocker, to induce hypospadias in their offspring. Observations were made at gestational days 17.5, 19.5, and 21.5 using scanning electron microscopy. In control rats, normal urethral development and preputial closure were observed, while hypospadiac rats lacked these features, showing a ventral cleft and dorsal hooding of the prepuce, resembling human penoscrotal hypospadias. The model was deemed valuable for further research into penile growth and the molecular mechanisms of genital formation in hypospadias.