5α-Reduction of Testosteronein Vitroby Rat Seminiferous Tubules and Whole Testes at Different Stages of Development1

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Abstract
Rat seminiferous tubules and whole testicular tissue at different stages of development were incubated with 1 nmole of 3H-testosterone in a 1 ml mixture for 30 min at 34 C in the presence of NADPH. 5α-Androstane-3α,17β-diol was the main metabolite isolated. 5α-Androstane-3β,17β-diol, 17β-hydroxy-5α-androstan-3-one and androsterone were other 5α-reduced metabolites. The trend of metabolism in the two tissues at different ages was as follows. The rate of formation of the sum of 5α-reduced products (nmoles/ 100 mg protein/30 min) was low at 9 days (about 0.5), increased sharply from 16 to 20-27 days (3.4 in the tubules and 48.2 in the whole tissue), decreased significantly at 41 days, and at 83 days, very little remained (about 0.2). It appears that the formation of 5α-reduced products by the tubules and interstitial tissue correlates with the reduction division of the primary spermatocytes in a prepubescent state. (Endocrinology93: 253, 1973)

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