Influence of castration and testosterone propionate on prostatic and seminal vesicular lipids in mature monkeys.

The effect of castration and administration of testosterone propionate (TP) has been studied in mature monkeys in relation to prostatic and seminal vesicular lipids to castrates on prostatic and seminal vesicular lipids were studied in mature monkeys. Castration decreased prostatic total lipid, total phospholipids and total glyceride glycerols. Among neutral lipid classes only diacyl glycerol was decreased due to castration. Similarly among phospholipid classes, phosphatidyl choline and ethanolamine were decreased. A marked decrease in the seminal vesicular total lipid, total phospholipids, total cholesterol and total glyceride glycerol were observed due to castration. Mono and diacyl glycerols and phosphatidyl choline and ethanolamine also registered a significant decrease after castration. Administration of TP to castrates brought back all the lipid classes to normal level which showed a decrease due to castration. However, TP treated to castrates on both seminal vesicles and prostates had no effect on other classes of lipids which were unaltered by castration. The present study reveals that lipid metabolism in the male accessory sex organs is under androgenic control. Nevertheless, the influence of testicular androgen is specific to different classes of lipids as a number of phospholipids and neutral lipid classes were resistant to castration or administration of TP.