title: The effect of experimentally induced diabetes on the metabolism of glucose by seminiferous tubules and epididymal spermatozoa from the rat.
abstract: The concentration of glucose in the plasma of alloxan-diabetic rats was 23.4 +/- 0.86 mM (mean +/- SEM; n = 18), and the concentration of insulin was 11.4 +/- 1.67 microU/ml (mean +/- SEM; n = 17). The weights of the ventral prostate (0.45 +/- 0.03 vs. 0.72 +/- 0.04 g) and seminal vesicles (1.23 +/- 0.06 vs. 1.84 +/- 0.08 g) were decreased compared to control values and the rats lost body weight, but the weights of the testes were not significantly different from control values (3.14 +/- 0.08 vs. 3.23 +/- 0.14 g/pair). Similar changes were seen in streptozotocin-diabetic rats. The concentration of fructose (micromoles per g fresh wt) was greater in the coagulating gland of alloxan-diabetic (19.6 +/- 1.3; n = 17) than control rats (9.1 +/- 0.7; n = 18). The production of 14CO2 from D-[U-14C]glucose by spermatozoa or seminiferous tubules from diabetic rats was decreased compared to that in controls [28 +/- 3 vs. 53 +/- 6 nmol glucose converted/10(8) spermatozoa X 30 min (n = 8) and 0.81 +/- 0.03 vs. 1.08 +/- 0.03 mumol glucose converted/g fresh wt X 30 min (n = 7)]. There was no change in the production of lactate or 3HOH from D-[2-3H] glucose, and the presence of insulin (10 mU/ml) in the incubation had little effect. Rat epididymal spermatozoa took up 2-deoxy-D-glucose by a facilitated diffusion mechanism; the Km was about 0.2 mM, with a maximum velocity of about 0.10 nmol/10(6) spermatozoa X 10 sec. Neither alloxan-diabetes nor the presence of insulin (10 mU/ml) had an appreciable effect on these parameters.
mesh_terms: D000496:Alloxan; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001835:Body Weight; D003847:Deoxyglucose / Q000378:metabolism; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000378:metabolism*; D004822:Epididymis; D005632:Fructose / Q000378:metabolism; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D007294:Inositol / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D011773:Pyruvates / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012671:Seminiferous Tubules / Q000378:metabolism*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism*; D013311:Streptozocin; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D011773:Pyruvates; D005632:Fructose; D007294:Inositol; D013311:Streptozocin; D000496:Alloxan; D003847:Deoxyglucose; D005947:Glucose