The effect of efferentiectomy and orchidectomy on the metabolism of the epididymis of the mouse

Abstract

The purpose of the study is a comparison of respiratory metabolic rates and anaerobic glycolytic activity (lactate accumulation) in homogenates of epididymides from normal, orchidectomized and testosterone replaced-orchidectomized mice. Animals subjected to vasa efferentiectomy were used to furnish sperm free homogenates as controls for the homogenates from orchidectomized animals, and to furnish estimates of the contribution of the spermatozoa to these metabolic parameters in homogenates of normal epididymides. Efferentiectomized mice yield homogenates with a significantly lowered rate of respiratory activity (30%). Experiments with fractions of these homogenates showed this reduction in activity to be equivalent to the contribution of the spermatozoa in homogenates from normal mice. No significant difference in the rate of respiratory metabolism was observed among homogenates obtained from efferentiectomized, orchidectomized, testosterone replaced-orchidectomized, or testosterone injected-efferentiectomized mice. Efferentiectomy also resulted in a lowered rate of anaerobic glycolytic activity in vitro . No further reduction or elevation of this activity was observed in homogenates from orchidectomized or testosterone injected animals. Further study indicated this loss following efferentiectomy to be due to a reduced glycolytic activity in the epididymal epithelium rather than to the absence of spermatozoan contribution to the metabolism. The evidence presented supports the hypothesis that the presence of some component of the spermatozoa or the fluids in which they reside controls the activation or inhibition of a segment of the lactic dehydrogenase activity which is responsible for the secretion of lactic acid into the epididymal canal for spermatozoan utilization.