Testosterone-Stimulated Weanlings as an Alternative to Castrated Male Rats in the Hershberger Anti-Androgen Assay
March 2004
in “
Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology
”
TLDR Using testosterone-stimulated weanling rats can effectively replace castrated rats for anti-androgen testing, reducing animal stress.
The study explored the use of testosterone propionate (TP) to stimulate weanling male rats as an alternative to the traditional Hershberger assay, which involves castrated male rats, for detecting anti-androgens. This modified assay allowed for the detection of anti-androgens such as flutamide, procymidone, vinclozolin, DDE, and the testosterone-5-reductase inhibitor finasteride, with similar sensitivity to the Hershberger assay. The change from 17-methyltestosterone to TP enabled the biochemical conversion to dihydrotestosterone, enhancing the assay's effectiveness. The study suggested that this method could reduce animal stress by eliminating the need for surgical castration, thus providing a more humane alternative for anti-androgen testing.
