A Survey of Sperm, Potassium and Sodium Concentrations in the Tubular Fluid of the Hamster Epididymis

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Abstract
Tubular fluid samples obtained in vivo by micropuncture from 5 separate locations along the hamster epididymal duct were analyzed with ultramicro methods for sperm, Na and K concentrations. Net secretion or absorption of fluid, Na and K was calculated from the data. There is a slight drop in sperm concentration from the caput to the corpus as a result of a 13% increase in fluid volume between these 2 sites (P < 0.02). There is no significant alteration in sperm concentration nor is there any net fluid movement between the corpus and the cauda. The K concentration in the caput of 39.3 .+-. 4.8 mEq/l is significantly higher than the concentrations in the proximal cauda, distal cauda and epididymal vas of 20.8 .+-. 1.1 mEq/l, 23.9 .+-. 1.0 mEq/l and 22.2 .+-. 0.9 mEq/l, respectively. Forty-five percent of the K present in the caput is absorbed between the caput and the proximal cauda. The concentrations of Na in the caput and corpus of 28.4 .+-. 0.6 mEq/l and 31.1 .+-. 2.0 mEq/l, respectively, are higher than the Na concentrations of 13.6 .+-. 1.2 mEq/l, 6.1 .+-. 0.5 mEq/l and 6.7 .+-. 0.6 mEq/l in the 3 sampled caudal sites (P < 0.01). Approximately 75% of the Na present in the caput is absorbed between the caput and the distal cauda.