Ontogeny of Rodent Testicular Androgen Production in Response to Isoproterenol and Luteinizing Hormone In Vitro

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Abstract
The ontogeny of rodent testicular androgen production in response to the catecholamine agonist L-isoproterenol (Isop) and luteinizing hormone (LH) was studied in vitro. Isop (10-4 M) significantly increased rat androgen production by 1.2 to 3.3-fold on Days 18.5 to 21.5 of gestation and on Days 1 to 60 of postnatal life during the 3-h incubation in Medium 199. Similarly, Isop augmented mouse androgen production by 1.4- to 4.3-fold on Days 16.5 to 19.5 of gestation and on 1, 10, 20, 40 and 60 days of postnatal life. No effect of the .beta.-agonist was observed in postnatal rats aged 6 and 10 days, and mice aged 2, 5, 15 and 30 days. In both species, LH (100 ng ml) induced large increases (2.8- to 265.6-fold) in androgen production at all fetal and postnatal ages. Isop was 0.3-22.9% as effective as LH in the 2 spp. The minimum concentration of Isop to significantly increase androgen production by testes from 20.5-day rat fetuses was 10-8 M, while 10-5 M was required to stimulate 17.5-day mouse fetuses. Isop significantly increased androgen production by 20.5-day rat and 17.5-day mouse fetuses after a time lag of 30 and 180 min, respectively. In both species, a .beta.-adrenergic antagonist, propranolol (10-5 M), abolished the increased androgen production attributed to Isop. Propranolol alone and the D-isomer of Isop had no effect. Although LH is the key stimulant of testicular androgen production catecholamines may play an important role(s) in testicular development, especially at fetal ages.