Gaschromatographic microanalysis of steroids was carried out with special emphasis on androgens. From the time course of changes in testosterone and other steroids in the spermatic venous blood of dogs following LH administration and the isotope incorporation into androgens in the spermatic venous blood following infusion of 7-3H-pregnenolone and 4-14C-cholesterol in the spermatic artery, the pathway of biosynthesis of testosterone via dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) appeared to be more important

more »

... in vivo than the conventional pathway suggested mainly from the results of in vitro studies. Non-identified non-acetylable compounds tentatively named X and Y possibly representing intermediates of testosterone biosynthesis or new androgens, deserve further study. 2) In human spermatic venous blood, testosterone was easily quantified with gaschromatography during LH administration. Presence of DHEA and compound X was also demonstrated. 3) LH administration caused a definite increase in urinary testosterone excretion in males probably through action of the testes, whereas H.P. ACTH increased testosterone in urine both in males and females probably through the action of the adrenals. 4) In order to establish the identity of adrenal androgens, blood androgen contents were studied in the adrenal veins and arteries of dogs under stress. Quite unexpectedly, neither testosterone nor androst-l-ene-3,17-dione was demonstrated in the adrenal venous blood, whereas significantly more DHEA and compound X were found in adrenal veins Vol. 40 No.