Influence of hormones on testicular lipids of adult rats.

Testosterone, oestradiol-17 beta, progesterone and prolactin were administered for 1 and 7 days to adult rats to study the short- and long-term effects of these hormones on testicular lipids. Testosterone administration induced a marked increase in testicular phospholipids and a significant fall in glycerides. Oestrogen, on the other hand, provoked a significant increase in total lipids and glycerides with no marked changes in testicular phospholipids. Progesterone elicited significant changes in cholesterol fractions; a marked increase in esterified cholesterol with a concurrent fall in free cholesterol was observed. Prolactin treatment resulted in a significant fall in total lipids and phospholipids with no marked change in tissue weight. It also induced a marked fall in total and free cholesterol with a significant increase in esterified cholesterol.