Abstract
Plasma 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) concentration was preserved during prolonged dietary protein restriction in male rats, whereas plasma testosterone (T) concentration decreased. The ratio of plasma T:DHT was markedly lower in protein-restricted rats (0.5) than in controls (8.4). These changes in plasma androgens were accompanied by reduction in weight of seminal vesicles and ventral prostate, although testicular weight with respect to body weight was maintained. These findings suggest that during protein restriction the accessory sex organs were either insensitive to the apparently adequate levels of DHT or that DHT was not biologically available to preserve organ weight. Maintenance of plasma DHT concentration during protein restriction may be protective for spermatogenesis, since this aspect of testicular function is known to be less susceptible to the effects of undernutrition.
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