Persistent Changes in Vaginal Epithelium in Mice Induced by Short-Term Treatment with Estrogen Beginning at Different Early Postnatal Ages

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Abstract
Female mice of the C57 Black/MS strain were given subcutaneous injections of 20μg estradiol-17β in 0.02ml sesame oil for 5 days beginning at 0, 3, 5, 8, or 11 days of age and ovariectomized within a week after the last injection. In 118-day-old control mice which had received 5 daily injections of 0.02ml sesame oil from the day of birth and ovariectomized at 10 days of age, the vaginal epithelium was thin, consisting of 2 layers of cells. The vaginal epithelium of mice, 71-96 days old, which had been treated with estradiol for 5 days from 0 or 3 days of age was hyperplastic with superficial layers undergoing keratinization or parakeratosis. In mice which had received 5 daily estradiol injections from 5 or 8 days of age and sacrificed at 96-121 days of age the vaginal epithelium was composed of mucous cells. In animals given 5 estradiol injections from 11 days of age and ovariectomized at 19 days, the vaginal epithelium was similar in structure to that of oil-injected control mice.