EFFECT OF OESTROGEN TREATMENT ON TESTICULAR LH/hCG RECEPTORS AND ENDOGENOUS STEROIDS IN PROSTATIC CANCER PATIENTS

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Abstract
LH/hCG binding and concentrations of pregnenolone, progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione, testosterone and 5α-dihydrotestosterone were measured in testicular tissue obtained from patients undergoing orchiectomy for prostatic cancer. One group of the orchiectomized patients had received an injection of 80 mg polyestradiol phosphate 1–9 days before the operation, another group were treated with monthly injections of the oestrogen for several months, and the remainder were not treated with oestrogen. In non-oestrogen treated patients (n= 8) the hCG-binding capacity was 28.0±15.0 (SD) ng/g and the equilibrium association constant of binding was 0.69±0.38 x 1010 M−1.The binding capacity was significantly (Pn= 6) receiving the first oestrogen injection 3–9 days prior to the operation. A further decline to the level of 1.77±1.03 ng/g occurred in patients (n= 3) treated over 3 months with the oestrogen injections. At the same time, no significant changes were observed in peripheral serum LH and FSH levels. In the testicular endogenous steroid levels, statistically significant decreases were seen 9 days after the oestrogen injection in pregnenolone (from 505±315 ng/g to 138±86 ng/g) and in testosterone (from 669±243 ng/g to 254±49 ng/g) whereas no significant changes could be seen in the levels of the other steroids analysed. This study gives further evidence for the direct inhibitory action of oestrogens on human testicular steroidogenesis and suggests that the loss of testicular luteinizing hormone receptors may be one facet of this inhibitory action.