Abstract
Androgenic hormones are necessary for the completion of normal spermatogenesis (1) and may mediate the stimulatory influence of the gonadotrophins FSH and LH on germ cell development (2). Although the stimulatory effects of LH on Leydig cell secretion are well documented, the mechanism by which FSH influences the various testicular compartments has been more speculative. The demonstration of a high affinity androgen binding protein (ABP) in the testicular efferent duct fluid (EDF) of the rat (3,4) and rabbit (5) and its control by FSH (2,6,7) has raised the possibility that FSH may influence the local concentration of androgens in the immediate vicinity of the developing and maturing germ cells. In order to test this hypothesis, a radioimmunoassay technique, which enables the simultaneous measurement of 8 steroids, including the major androgens, (8,9) was applied to a study of the steroid concentrations in rabbit EDF. It was hoped that steroid assays in conjunction with ABP measurements in the same samples would answer the following questions: (a) What is the steroid composition of the fluid bathing the testicular sperm? (b) Is there a relationship between the concentration of androgens and the levels of ABP?
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