Acute effect of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) on 17 alpha-hydroxylase and C17,20-lyase activity in neonatal or prepubertal rat testis.

In contrast to the situation in adults, desensitization of androgen production, secondary to loss of enzyme activity, was not found in testes of neonatal rats exposed to human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG). In the present study attention was given to the acute effects of a single injection of hCG upon the activity of testicular 17 alpha-hydroxylase, C17,20-lyase and the concentration of testosterone in the serum of 5, 10 or 28-30 day old rats was investigated. Tritiated H2O from 17 alpha-[3H]progesterone and 14CH3COOH from 21-[14C]progesterone were the products measured to evaluate hydroxylase and lyase activities respectively. Large increases in hCG in the serum were detected within 2 h of a subcutaneous injection. Testosterone, which was highest in 5 day animals, increased quickly in all animals given hCG. In 28-30-day old animals, the concentration of this steroid began to fall 24 h after injection of hCG. 17 alpha-Hydroxylase activity decreased in the testes of all animals given hCG, but only after a brief increase. Activity returned to the starting level, or above, within 24 h in 5 or 10-day old animals. In 28-30-day old rats the activity of both enzymes decreased dramatically to a nadir at 24 h, but increased thereafter. The results indicate that desensitization of testicular androgen synthesizing enzymes occurs in neonatal as well as older testes stimulated with hCG, but the desensitization was very brief in neonatal animals and no desensitization of lyase was found in 5-day old rat testes.