Risk assessment of transgender people: implementation of a demasculinizing–feminizing rodent model including the evaluation of thyroid homeostasis

Table 3 Histopathological data

Organ/Observation		C	L	M	H
Testis	N	4	4	4	4
Tubule degeneration with germinal epithelium degeneration		0/4 ##	1/4 (25%)	2/4 (50%)	4/4 (100%) §
Tubule lumen area (μm²; mean ± SD)		133.00 ± 24.06	131.43 ± 30.4	172.35 ± 19.03	84.03 ± 9.39*
Liver	N	4	4	4	4
Sinusoidal dilatation		0/4 ##	2/4 (50%)	4/4 (100%) §	4/4 (100%) §
Hepatocyte vacuolization		0/4	1/4 (25%)	4/4 (100%) §	2/4 (50%)
Thyroid	N	4	3	4	3
Follicular number (mean ± SD)		28.67 ± 10.97	104.00 ± 3.61°	104.67 ± 34.53*	70.33 ± 44.05
Follicular density % (N/μm²; mean ± SD)		0.57 ± 0.21	1.93 ± 0.06°	1.90 ± 0.55*	1.73 ± 0.70°
Follicular area (μm²; mean ± SD)		49.63 ± 3.48	21.96 ± 9.70°	25.82 ± 5.76°	31.87 ± 9.91°
Colloidal area (μm²; mean ± SD)		32.49 ± 1.39	10.5 ± 7.75°	12.40 ± 6.37°	18.62 ± 7.78°
Direct follicular cell height (μm; mean ± SD)		8.92 ± 0.81	7.18 ± 1.17	9.20 ± 1.70	8.41 ± 0.89
Area of follicular epithelium (μm²; mean ± SD)		1.53 ± 0.14	2.40 ± 0.73	2.03 ± 0.77	1.76 ± 0.19

Histopathological data of testes, liver and thyroid of male rats subcutaneously treated with estradiol valerate plus cyproterone acetate, five times a week for 2 weeks: Control (C): 0—sesame oil, Low (L) 0.045 + 0.2, Medium (M) 0.09 + 0.2 and High (H) 0.18 + 0.2 mg. Statistical significance: § p < 0.05 Fisher exact test; ° p = 0.08, * p < 0.05 Mann–Whitney test; ## p < 0.01 Cochran–Armitage Trend Test. N: samples number; SD: standard deviation.

ISSN: 1745-6150