Secretion of bromide by the canine prostate.

Four dogs with surgically produced prostatic fistulas were given single oral doses of 1.13 gm of sodium bromide daily for five consecutive days. Two days later the mean (+/- SE) serum level of bromide was 28.0 +/- 4.0 meq/L and the serum chloride level had decreased from a pretreatment value of 112.5 +/- 1.0 meq/L to 86.5 +/- 3.7 meq/L; in the basal prostatic secretion, the mean prostatic fluid to serum (PF/S) ratios for bromide and chloride were 0.56 +/- 0.15 and 0.53 +/- 0.11, respectively, and were not different (P greater than 0.05, paired t-test); at higher rates of secretion provoked by intravenous pilocarpine the corresponding PF/S ratios of 1.48 +/- 0.04 and 1.32 +/- 0.01 were significantly different (P less than 0.05, paired t-test). It is concluded that the processes involved in forming the basal and pilocarpine-induced prostatic secretions must differ and that the ability of the chloride-transporting system to transport bromide is slightly greater than that for chloride. Because it may impair sperm motility, bromide secreted in prostatic fluid potentially could adversely affect reproduction.