Stimulation of adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate and sex steroids in the spermatic venous blood after human chorionic gonadotropin injection into human testes.

To study the participation of cAMP in the action of gonadotropin on testicular steroidogenesis in the human testis in vivo, we have measured the concentrations of cAMP, testosterone, 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone, estrone, 17 beta-estradiol, and hCG in the spermatic venous blood of the patients with prostatic cancer after hCG injections into the testis. Five minutes after hCG administration, spermatic cAMP increased to 5 times the pretreated level, and after 30 min, it increased to 20 times the pretreated level. Testosterone increased gradually after hCG injection, and the 2-fold increase was demonstrated at 50 min. Although the pattern of the changes in spermatic 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone was similar to that of testosterone, a statistically significant increase was not observed after hCG administration. Estrogen production was also stimulated by hCG. These results are consistent with the view that cAMP may participate in the action of hCG upon steroidogenesis in the testis of human beings in vivo, as has previously been observed with rat and human testes in vitro.