UPTAKE AND BINDING IN VIVO OF 3H LABELLED ANDROGEN IN THE RAT EPIDIDYMIS AND DUCTUS DEFERENS

Abstract

ABSTRACT Following the administration of [3H] testosterone and [3H]5α-dihydrotestosterone to adult castrated male rats, a selective uptake of androgen was found in the epididymis and ductus deferens,in contrast to the much lower uptake by skeletal muscle. Simultaneous administration of non-labelled androgen reduced the uptake in the epididymis and ductus deferens by about 60–70 per cent. One day after castration, the uptake in the epididymis was about 54 per cent higher than in the intact animals. The 105 000 × g supernatant fraction of homogenates obtained from both the ductus deferens and the epididymis, contained androphilic macromolecules excluded from Sephadex G-100 gel. The 600 × g crude nuclear fraction of homogenized epididymal tissue contained salt extractable androgen binding macromolecules.