Ageing in the Gonad-Adrenal System

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Abstract
It has long been Known that the normal adrenal gland may functionally simulate the gonads by secreting sex hormones, most strikingly in old age as the hormone production of the normal gonads declines. The present paper demonstrates the real similarity, both functional and morphological, between the ovaries and the adrenals of ageing female mice. In senile mouse ovaries proliferative changes occur in response to the excess of circulating gonadotrophic substances resulting from the depletion of the normal follicular parenchyma. These proliferations, which have been discussed in previous publications, are analogous to similar changes in the adrenals of ageing mice. The histogenesis and function of hyperplastic changes in the senile adrenal cortex are discussed in relation to the literature on postcastrational changes in the adrenals of mice and of other species. A general gerontological interpretation of these findings is given in which reference is made to the structural and functional affinity between gonadal and adrenal tissues.

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