Correlation of the level of beta-citryl-L-glutamic acid with spermatogenesis in rat testes.

beta-Citryl-L-glutamic acid, which is known to be highly concentrated in the brains of immature animals, is preferentially localized in the testes of various adult animals, including mammals, amphibians and fish, mainly in the germinal cells. In young rats, the citrylglutamate concentration increases with age and coincides with the development of late spermatocytes into early spermatids. Rats with seminiferous tubule failure induced by ductuli efferentes ligation and experimental cryptorchidism are infertile as a result of germ cell depletion, especially spermatocytes and early spermatids. In these animals, the testicular citrylglutamate content was much lower than in normal testes.