Androgen-Binding Components of Human Semen

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Abstract
Androgen-binding components were detected in human semen using the dextran-coated charcoal method. Pre- and postvasectomy semen samples did not show significant differences in ability to bind dihydrotestosterone. Electrophoresis conducted in polyacrylamide gels in which tritiated dihydrotestosterone was incorporated disclosed the presence of androgen-binding protein [ABP] with properties characteristic of the ABP of Sertoli cell origin in ram semen; the ABP was not detectable in human semen, even after concentrating it 2- or 4-fold. The binding of dihydrotestosterone was slightly greater in the later portion of split-ejaculate samples, but binding was found in the earlier fraction and in prostatic fluid, suggesting that androgen-binding components enter human semen with secretions of the prostate and seminal vesicle glands. The extent of androgen-binding by human seminal fluid is not a measure of Sertoli-cell function.