Hamster ear model for sebaceous glands

Abstract

The ventral side of the earlobes in Syrian hamsters is richly endowed with sebaceous glands. These glands are large and are similar to human sebaceous follicles since they have an infundibulum, a sebaceous duct, multiple lobules, and a pilary unit which enters from below into the gland. In this study the gland size was measured by planimetry, and the cellular activity by autoradiography using thymidine H3 and histidine H3. Males have much larger glands in sagittal sections than do females (0.1750 mm2 vs 0.0727 mm2, p < 0.001) and a higher labeling index (19.85% vs 14.3%, p < 0.01). Injection of testosterone propionate increases the gland size in female hamsters to 0.2362 mm2 (p < 0.001). The labeling index also increases. The turnover of the total gland population is 12 to 14 days. Androgen sensitivity, gland size, and turnover time make the sebaceous glands on the ventral surface of the hamster earlobe a suitable model for study.