Prostatic concentrations of androgens and androgen-receptors in developing rats

Abstract

Prostatic concentrations of androgens and androgen-receptors in developing rats .Testosterone (T), 5a-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), 3a,5 a-androstanediol, and DHT-receptors (DHT-R) were measured systematically in the prostatic c ytosol of developing rats from age day 20 (immature) through age day 56 (spermatogenesis complete). The profiles obtained at var ious maturational stages demonstrate that the prostatic contents of androgens and DHT-receptors are high in the immature animals (T 0.203 ng/mg DNA, DHT-R 1.700 fmol/ mg prostate), fall drastically just before the onset of puberty (T 0 .058, DHT-R 0.533), then peak sharply at age day 35 (T 0.739, DHT-R 1.830), a nd slowly tail off with increasing age (day 45: T 0.232, DHT-R 0.733) and by age day 56 although T remains low (0.116) DHT-R has a second peak (1 .28). The prof iles of the prostatic contents of androgens and androgen-receptors demonstrate a divergence from the pattern of circulating T ,DHT and LH during sexual ma t u r a tio n , but somehow parallels the pattern of circulating FSH till day 50. It is possible that FSH plays an important role in the regulation of intraprostatic androgens and androgen-receptors during sexual maturation.

Role of the pineal gland in the regulation of prostatic androgen receptors in pubertal and mature rats

“…Exposure to darkness resulted in the elevation of plasma melatonin concentration, but in contrast to the pubertal animals, the concentration of the androgen binding sites increased significantly in this group. Afternoon injections of melatonin also potentiated similar elevation though not significantly It has been already established previously [19], and again shown in this study, that the 35-day-old pubertal animals have a higher concentration of androgen binding sites than the mature group. This is perhaps an indicator of the highly active endocrine condition of the prostate prior to full sexual maturation.…”