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Androgen and Estrogen Binding in Male Guinea Pig Accessory Sex Organs¹

West Virginia University Medical Center, Department of Pharmacology and Urology, School of Medicine Morgantown, West Virginia 26506

Abstract

Following the iv administration of [³H]testosterone to adult male guinea pigs, the seminal vesicle epithelium contained the highest concentration of the reduced androgen, [³H]dihydrotestosterone, followed in order by the prostate, seminal vesicle muscle and non-sex accessory tissues. Following iv injection of [³H]estradiol, the sex accessory tissues also accumulated this steroid in excess of certain other tissues, but within the seminal vesicle, higher concentration of [³H]-estradiol were recovered from the muscle than the epithelium.

Examination of the in vitro cytosol binding of [³H]dihydrotestosterone revealed that of all tissues examined from the castrate guinea pig, the seminal vesicle epithelium contained the greatest amount of saturable [³H]dihydrotestosterone binding. Examination of the steroid specific nature of [³H]- dihydrotestosterone binding in the cytosols of the prostate and seminal vesicle epithelium and muscle revealed an order of competitor activity in all three tissues of dihydrotestosterone > testosterone > estradiol and progesterone > estrone > estriol. Quantification of [³H]estradiol binding in the cytosols from various tissues revealed that the seminal vesicle muscle contained the greatest amount of saturable [³H]estradiol binding, and that the binding of [³H]estradiol in the seminal vesicle epithelium, seminal vesicle muscle and prostate was also highly steroid specific. The order of steroid competitor activity for cytosol [³H]estradiol binding in all three tissues was estradiol 17β > estrone estriol > dihydrotestosterone > cortisol and progesterone.

Comparative effects of castration and estradiol treatment of castrate male guinea pigs on the apparent function of the sex accessory organ revealed that castration produced much greater regression of the epithelium than muscle, and estradiol replacement caused a rather selective growth of the fibromuscular component of sex accessory organs.

These studies are in accord with the concept that sex accessory organ epithelium is highly sensitive to androgen but the interesting possibility is raised that if hormonal regulation of sex accessory fibromuscular tissue exists, it may be primarily estrogenic.

Footnotes

¹ 1 Supported by grants from the Veterans Administration, NIH 1-T 32GM07039, NCI R01CA13103, NCINO1-CP-43230 and GRS 2-210-1615 (55).

² Recipient of a research fellowship from the National Cancer Institute 5-T01-CA5170-11-CAN.

³ Recipient of a fellowship from the National Institute of Health NIH-1-T32GM07039.

⁴ Recipient of a Faculty Development Award from the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers' Association Foundation.

Received April 20, 1976.