Journal of Andrology
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Published-Ahead-of-Print September 24, 2009, DOI:10.2164/jandrol.109.008391

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Serum LH Correlates Highly with Intratesticular Steroid Levels in Normal Men

M. Y. Roth *, K. Lin , J. K. Amory , A. M. Matsumoto , B. D. Anawalt , C. N. Snyder , T. F. Kalhorn , W. J. Bremner , and S. T. Page

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mylang{at}u.washington.edu.

Sex steroids are essential for spermatogenesis; however, the normal intra-testicular concentrations of these hormones in man have not been extensively studied. To improve our understanding of intra-testicular hormone concentrations, we performed bilateral testicular aspirations in a group of normal men and examined the hormone concentrations within testes by side, as well as compared to serum hormone concentrations. Ten healthy human subjects ages 20-49 underwent bilateral testicular aspiration. Intra-testicular hormone concentrations of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and estradiol were measured using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Intra-testicular testosterone concentrations ranged from 108-1251 ng/mL, with a mean of 635 ± 368 ng/mL. Intra-testicular estradiol ranged from 0.41 - 3.9 ng/mL, with a mean of 2.4 ± 1.3 ng/mL Intra-testicular testosterone and estradiol concentrations correlate highly with serum LH (r=0.87 and r=0.70 respectively, p<0.01). Intra-testicular DHT ranged from 1.1-7.9 ng/mL, with a mean of 3.5 ± 3.2 ng/mL. Intra-testicular testosterone correlated highly with serum testosterone. Moreover, a significant correlation between the right and left testes was observed for testosterone (r=0.82, p=0.003), but not for estradiol or DHT. Conclusions: Intra-testicular hormone concentrations can be assessed by testicular aspiration. Intra-testicular testosterone and estradiol correlate highly with serum LH concentrations, and variation in serum LH accounts for most of the variation in intra-testicular testosterone between men. In addition, intra-testicular testosterone is highly correlated between testes in a given individual. Direct measurement of intra-testicular testosterone will improve our understanding of the relationship between intra-testicular sex steroids and spermatogenesis which may have implications for treatment of male infertility.


Key words: Contraception • Hormone • Infertility • Testis




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M. Y. Roth, S. T. Page, K. Lin, B. D. Anawalt, A. M. Matsumoto, B. Marck, W. J. Bremner, and J. K. Amory
The Effect of Gonadotropin Withdrawal and Stimulation with Human Chorionic Gonadotropin on Intratesticular Androstenedione and DHEA in Normal Men
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., April 1, 2011; 96(4): 1175 - 1181.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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