Regulation of epididymal glutathione S-transferases: Effects of orchidectomy and androgen replacement

Abstract

Glutathione S-transferases, a family of enzymes that catalyze the hormonal regulation of these enzymes in this tissue, adult rats were orchidectomized and implanted with empty or androgen-filled polydimethylsiloxane capsules. Orchidectomy alone significantly decreased caput-corpus epididymal glutathione S-transferase activity toward 2 substrates, 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and trans-4-phenylbut-3-en-2-one, but had no effect on transferase activity toward the third substrate, 1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene. In contrast to these results, orchidectomy did not alter glutathione S-transferase activity toward substrates in the cauda epididymidis. Androgen replacement with testosterone prevented the orchidectomy-induced decrease in caput-corpus glutathione S-transferase activity toward 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and trans-4-phenylbut-3-en-2-one and had no effect on transferase activity toward 1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene. The effects of 5α-reduced metabolites of testosterone were also studied. Both dihydrotestosterone and 5α-androstan-3α, 17β-diol maintained caput-corpus glutathione S-transferase activity toward 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene, although a lower dose of dihydrotestosterone was sufficient; these 2 androgens were unable to maintain activity toward trans-4-phenylbut-3-en-2-one and caused a suprastimulation of activity toward 1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene above control values. The third 5α-reduced androgen studied, 5α-androstan-3β,17β-diol had no effect on the transferase activity toward any of the 3 substrates. These results demonstrate that the epididymal glutathione S-transferases are under separate control and are differentially regulated by testosterone and its 5α-reduced metabolites.