Seminal fructose concentration as an index of androgenic activity in man.

Abstract

THE prosecution of clinical research concerning metabolic and other physiologic properties of male hormone has been seriously handicapped by the lack of a specific sensitive index of either the rate of androgen secretion or the titer of circulating hormone. The measurement of various urinary excretory products which have been suggested for this purpose, has thus far been inadequate. The estimation of urinary 17-ketosteroids and the bio-assay of urinary androgens lack specificity as indicators of testicular androgen output since some of these steroids are derivatives of the adrenals as well as of the testes, and in addition their excretion may be influenced by factors other than glandular secretory activity (1). The excretion of urinary acid phosphatase, derived from the prostate gland, appear too variable from day to day to be useful (2). However, it was thought desirable to pursue the possibility that estimations of other secretory products of the accessory sex glands which require androgen for their dev...