Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, glutathione, and L-glutamic acid in the rat epididymis during postnatal development.

During postnatal development, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma-GT), reduced glutathione (GSH), and L-glutamic acid (L-Glu) were assayed in the epididymides of rats at 5-day intervals between 10 and 60 days of age and compared to adult levels. gamma-GT activity (with gamma-glutamyl-p-nitroanilide as substrate) and L-Glu (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide conversion-dependent assay) were measured photometrically, while GSH (o-phthalaldehyde reaction) was quantified with a fluorometric assay. In immature rats, the epididymal gamma-GT was very low but increased after 25 days of age in the caput and after 50 days of age in the cauda. The enzyme level in the epididymal caput was by far the highest in the adult rat reproductive tissues. The postnatal increase of gamma-GT in epididymal caput and cauda was associated with a decline of its substrate GSH and an accumulation of the product L-Glu. These observations provide evidence for the in vivo hydrolytic activity of gamma-GT and explain the high levels of L-Glu found in the epididymis of rats and other mammals.