Fat tissue morphology of long-term sex steroid deficiency and estrogen treatment in female rats.

After long-term estradiol deficiency, female rats displayed body mass gain accompanied by an increase in the size of adipocytes, an increase in hyperglycemia, and a decrease in insulinemia. The effects were reversed by daily estradiol treatment. Adiposity was suggested by the increased vascular endothelial growth factor expression in castrated rats, whereas the proliferative effect of estradiol was suggested by the increased fibronectin expression in treated rats.