AJP - Endocrinology and Metabolism, Vol 247, Issue 5 569-E573, Copyright © 1984 by American Physiological Society
Testicular function and sexual activity in senescent mice
C. Chubb and C. Desjardins
The steroidogenic potentials of testes from 6-mo-old and approximately
28-mo-old CB6F1 mice were compared by measuring the secretion rate of 11
steroids produced by testes perfused in vitro. Testes from 6- and 28- to
30-mo-old mice secreted similar amounts of testosterone, but marked
differences in the secretion of testosterone biosynthetic intermediates
were discovered. Testes of old mice produced significantly more (P less
than 0.01) delta 5-steroids than young male mouse testes. The presence or
absence of sexual activity among old male mice was not correlated with
changes in testicular steroidogenesis or plasma steroid levels. The results
suggest that selected alterations in androgen biosynthesis occur during
aging, but that the decline in reproductive performance among old mice is
not attributable to deficits in testicular steroidogenesis. Rather,
age-associated losses in sexual activity may be mediated by disturbances in
the central nervous system.
