Free amino acids of sex organs of the mouse: regulation by androgen

Abstract

Male mice were castrated at 2 mo and a pellet of testosterone propionate was implanted subcutaneously 2 wk later. Mice were killed after 11 days and tissue extracts were analyzed. All the common 20 amino acids were present in widely varying concentrations. Castration uniformly increased the concentration of all free amino acids of the seminal vesicle, excepy proline, cystine/2, and tryptophan; androgen restored values to normal. These changes were not entirely due to changes in quantity of seminal vesicle fluid. Concentrations of amino acids of the prostate were not significantly changed by castration or testosteronepropionate. Fifteen other ninhydrin-postive compounds were detected. Hypotaruine, taurine alpha-aminobutyric acid, and cysteic acid in seminal vesicles were greatly decreased and several other compounds were slightly decreased by castration and restored tp normal by testosterone propionate. In the prostate, hypotaurine, alpha-aminobutyric acid, cysteic/cysteinessulfinic acids, glycerophosphoethaniomine, cystathionine, and phosphoethanolamine were decreased and alpha-amino-n-butyric acid was increased by castration and restored to normal by testosterone propionate. Concentrations of taurine and 5 other compounds were not affected. Epidiymis and testis also contained appreciable pools of amino acids and the other compounds. Amino acids concentrations were lower in cauda than in caput epididymis; in the testis values were intermidate, with much higher concentrations of glutamic and aspartic acids. Taurine concentrations were twice as great in cauda as in caput epidiymis; concentrations of hypotaurine and the other sulfur-containing compounds were similar in both parts of the epidiymis. The most striking result in the testis was the high concentration of reduced glutathione.