Metabolism of testosterone by human semen.

Following the incubation of human sperm and seminal plasma with 13C2-labelled testosterone, the main metabolite, identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), was 4-androstene-3,17-dione. In addition, 6 alpha- and 6 beta-hydroxytestosterone were identified. The more common metabolites of testosterone were not detected, and it is possible that the high substrate-tissue ratio influenced the result. Incubation of individual sperm and seminal plasma specimens with [14C]testosterone resulted in the identification, by specific activity measurements, of 4-androstene-3,17-dione in almost every specimen but with a widely varying conversion rate. Dihydrotestosterone, which on general grounds was considered a likely metabolite, could not be positively confirmed as such, although in some samples its presence was suspected. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was also used to identify steroids in sperm and seminal plasma extracts. Some, but not all the steroids identified as present in such extracts by other investigators, were found. During the course of this work C18 Sep-Pak cartridges were successfully used to prepare fractions suitable for SP-Sephadex and TEAP-Lipidex chromatography and subsequent analysis by GC-MS. Their use eliminated the need for purification steps otherwise necessary.