Acid phosphatases: androgen dependent markers of rat prostate

Abstract

Our investigations on acid phosphatase (AP) were aimed at finding a biochemical assay marker for androgen actions in the rat prostate. We quantitatively examined the effects of l-tartrate or formaldehyde on AP activity in tissue filtrates from nine adult male rat tissues, plasma and hemolysed red blood cells (HRBC). There was significant inhibition of AP activity in all instances with the exception of HRBC with tartrate. The prostate inhibition results were not different from those for seminal vesicles and adrenals but were different from the other tissues studied. Ten days following castration the inhibition by tartrate was less in all tissues studied except plasma and HRBC; the formaldehyde inhibition percentages were not altered. Intraperitoneal testosterone enanthate administration begun 2 days after castration maintained the tartrate inhibitions in the ranges found for noncastrated rats. Gel electrophoresis of the tissue filtrates and staining of the gels for AP indicated two bands of AP activity for the prostate from normal rats and one band of activity for all other tissues. This second band of prostate AP activity was completely eliminated by the addition of formaldehyde and was not found for prostate tissue filtrates from castrated animals. However, it was found for the animals which had received testosterone replacement for 14 days. It would appear that AP can be used as a marker of androgen responsiveness for rat prostate.