Quantification Of Testosterone Research Articles

Anthropometry and lung function of 10- to 12-year-old Bolivian boys.

Anthropometric measurements of 23 HAHSES, 44 HALSES, 43 LAHSES, and 28 LALSES boys (see Introduction to this Supplement) are presented here. They include body height (H), body weight (BW), upper arm circumference (UAC), and skinfold thickness taken at four locations. From these measurements, body fat, lean body mass, and body mass index (BMI = BW/H2) were calculated. The degree of maturation was assessed according to Tanner, orchidometry, and by quantification of testosterone in saliva. Lung function data include: vital capacity (VC), forced expired volume per 1 s (FEV1), functional residual capacity (FRC), residual volume (RV), and total lung capacity (TLC). The results show enhanced lung volumes in both HA groups in comparison to LA groups, with HALSES boys having the greatest increase, even though the LSES boys were significantly smaller compared to the HSES boys at both altitudes and their growth was delayed by approximately 2 years. From the anthropometric data it appears that physical growth of prepubertal boys is dependent on SES but not on high-altitude exposure. We tentatively conclude that chronic hypoxia per se does not affect physical growth in prepubertal boys in an Andean environment and that development of lung function is accelerated in relation to linear growth as has been suggested by other authors (15).

Quantification of testosterone and testosterone glucuronide in testicular and peripheral plasma of mature thorny skate ( Raja radiata)

Testicular and peripheral blood was collected from mature male thorny skate ( Raja radiata). “Free” testosterone and testosterone released by β-glucuronidase were quantified using gas-liquid chromatography after prior purification by thin-layer and paper chromatography. The concentration of free testosterone was greater in the testicular than in the peripheral plasma, indicating that the testis is a site of testosterone secretion. In three of the five fish examined the concentration of testosterone glucuronide was higher in the testicular effluent plasma than in the peripheral plasma, indicating that in these fish testosterone glucuronide is a secretory product of the testis. In the two remaining fish the concentrations of testosterone glucuronide in the testicular effluent were similar or slightly lower than in peripheral plasma, thus suggesting that testosterone glucuronide is not being secreted by the testis in these fish.

Identification and quantification of testosterone in peripheral plasma of skate

Testosterone was isolated for the first time from the blood of an elasmobranch. The steroid was identified from two species of skate, Raja radiata and R. ocellata, by its mobility during thin-layer, paper and gas chromatography. Testosterone acetate and androst-4-en-3,17-dione were prepared from the plasma steroid. Testosterone glucuronoside was present in the plasma of male and female R. radiata but was absent from both sexes of R. ocellata. Glucuronoside conjugation was established with glucosaccharo-1,4-lactone, a specific inhibitor of β-glucuronidase. Solvolysis procedures also released testosterone from the plasma of males of both species. The nature of this conjugation was not determined but was assumed to be sulfate. The concentration of testosterone in the plasma from 76 skate was determined by isolation of the steroid by thin-layer and paper chromatography and quantification by gas chromatography or the aromatase enzyme assay. The double-isotope derivative method and ultraviolet absorption at 240 mμ were used to confirm values found for some samples. Free testosterone in males ranged from 2.8–10.2 μg/100 ml (mean 7.4) in R. radiata and 2.2–20.8 μg/100 ml (mean 10.0) in R. ocellata. The range of free testosterone in females was 0.02–0.60 μg/100 ml (mean 0.47) in R. radiata and 0.59 μg/100 ml was found in a sample from 4 R. ocellata. In male R. radiata, testosterone glucuronoside ranged from 4.3–6.7 μg/100 ml (mean 5.5) and a plasma sample from eight females contained 0.13 μg/100 ml. The data suggest that porcine ACTH depresses free testosterone in male R. radiata and increases testosterone glucuronoside in females of this species. The results are discussed in relation to the data available for other species.