Glutathione peroxidase activity in cell cultures from different regions of human epididymis.
OBJECTIVE
To study the secretory activity and androgen regulation of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in epithelial cell cultures from human epididymis.


METHODS
Tissue was obtained from patients undergoing therapeutic orchidectomy for prostatic cancer. Epithelial cell cultures were obtained from the caput, corpus and cauda epididymides. Enzymatic activity was measured in conditioned media by colorimetric methods in absence or presence of 1, 10 or 100 nmol/L testosterone. The effect of 1 micromol/L flutamide was also evaluated.


RESULTS
GPx activity was higher in cultures from corpus and cauda than caput epididymidis. The presence of different concentrations of testosterone increase enzyme activity in cell cultures from all epididymal regions. Addition of flutamide reverses the androgen dependent increase of GPx activity.


CONCLUSIONS
GPx activity is secreted from human epididymal cells in a region dependent manner and is regulated by androgens.
Castellón
Enrique
E
Physiology and Biophysics Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, P.O. Box 70005, Santiago 6530499, Chile. ecastell@med.uchile.cl
Rioseco
Hernán
H
Rojas
Juan
J
Royer
Michel
M
Salas
Eduardo
E
Contreras
Héctor
H
Huidobro
Christian
C
D000368:Aged; D000726:Androgen Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D004822:Epididymis / Q000201:enzymology*; D005485:Flutamide / Q000494:pharmacology; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013739:Testosterone / Q000378:metabolism*
D000726:Androgen Antagonists; D013739:Testosterone; D005485:Flutamide; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase