The Steroidogenic Capacity of the Aging Rat Testis

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Abstract
Factors bearing on the steroidogenic capacity of the aging testis have been examined in sprague-dawley rats between 3 and 24 months of age. Neither the number nor the binding affinity of testicular receptors for l25i-hCG changed with age. The ability of the aging testis to synthesize cholesterol from octanoate was similarly undiminished. Testicular conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone, the gonadotropin-responsive, rate-limiting portion of the androgenic pathway, remained near young adult levels with advancing age. The rate at which the testis converted pregnenolone to testosterone actually increased by almost 25% in the oldest rats. Hence, thesteroidogenic capacity of the Sprague-Dawley rat testis does not decline with advancing age.

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