In vitro Responsiveness of Testicular Interstitial Cells Isolated from Rats Acutely Treated with Estradiol Benzoate

Abstract
Mature male Long-Evans rats were injected with 50 .mu.g estradiol benzoate (EB) and were killed at various times thereafter (0-8 h). Interstitial cells were prepared from 1 testis of each rat and were incubated in vitro either in the absence or in the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Under these conditions, interstitial cells from EB-treated rats were able to produce testosterone in vitro and were able to respond to a maximal dose of hCG in a manner similar to interstitial cells isolated from testes of rats which received the vehicle only.