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Effect of a nonsteroidal antiandrogen, flutamide on intraluminal acidification in rat testis and epididymis
Author(s) -
Caflisch C. R.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
andrologia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.633
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1439-0272
pISSN - 0303-4569
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0272.1993.tb02744.x
Subject(s) - flutamide , antiandrogen , epididymis , endocrinology , medicine , prostate , testosterone (patch) , hormone , androgen , chemistry , andrology , sperm , androgen receptor , prostate cancer , cancer
Summary. Flutamide, a pure antiandrogen was administered to intact adult male rats to study the effect of altered availability of hormones on in situ pH, PCO 2 and bicarbonate concentration ([HCO − 3 ]) of seminiferous tubules, proximal caput, middle caput, middle corpus, and proximal cauda epididymidis. The weights of the epididymis and ventral prostate as well as the plasma testosterone level showed antiandrogenic effects of flutamide. Relative to controls, flutamide elevated significantly in situ pH in proximal caput, middle caput, middle corpus and proximal cauda epididymidis but not in seminiferous tubules. In situ PCO 2 values in the above segments, after flutamide, were indistinguishable from controls and from each other but all values remained significantly higher than systemic arterial blood PCO 2 . Flutamide treatment did not change the [HCO − 3 ] in systemic arterial blood or seminiferous tubules but increased markedly the values in proximal caput and middle caput. The results of the present studies support the view that luminal acidification in the rat epididymis is under androgen control and may be important for sperm maturation and storage.