Methods for perfusing the male reproductive tract: models for studying drug and hormone metabolism

Methods for perfusing rat testis and accessory sex organs in situ by recirculating artificial medium to the hemicorpus preparation are described. The advantages and limitations of this system for studying the male reproductive tract were examined. The preparation was then used to study the uptake of androgens into the nuclei of caput epididymis, ventral prostate, seminal vesicle and testis. The accumulation of dihydrotestosterone and accessory sex organ nuclei was saturable and inhibited by perfusion of excess testosterone or cyproterone acetate. By contrast, testosterone was the major nuclear androgen in the testis of mature hypophysectomized preparations perfused with testosterone. In all parts of the reproductive tract, (3)H-nuclear androgens were associated with 3S, salt-extractable macromolecules within the properties of androgen receptors. The hemicorpus preparation was extensively compared with two techniques (selective and isolated) for perfusing the testis directly. Of these two procedures, the isolated method was superior when only the testes were studied. However, the hemicorpus preparation offers the advantage of studying testes along with the remainder of the male reproductive tract. A variety of observations suggest that these perfusion procedures will be useful for the study of drug as well as hormone metabolism and mechanism of action.