Indentification and radioimmunologic estimation of sexual steroid hormones in aqueous humor and vitreous of rabbit eye.

The occurrence of testosterone, estrone, and estradiol-17 alpha in aqueous humor and vitreous body of the rabbit eye was demonstrated. The identity of the steroid hormones was confirmed by their chromatographic properties, microreactions, and radiochemically by crystallization to constant specific activity of their labeled acetates. The levels of testosterone and estrogens in rabbit male and female plasma, aqueous, and vitreous were determined by radioimmunologic assay. The concentrations of the steroid hormones in plasma are higher than in aqueous and vitreous. However, testosterone in aqueous circulates in free form and lacks the binding to sexual hormone-binding globulin as in plasma.