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Testosterone Concentrations in Tissue from Veal Calves, Bulls and Heifers and Milk-Samples¹

Institut für Physiologie, Südd. Versuchs-und Forschungsanstalt für Milchwirtschaft, Technische Universität München, 8050 Freising-Weihenstephan

Abstract

Radioimmunoassay was used to quantify free and conjugated testosterone in the milk of cows and tissues of bulls and feedlot heifers. In addition, tissue and plasma levels of free and conjugated testosterone in female veal calves given 20 mg estradioI-17ß + 200 mg testosterone as a subcutaneous implant 77 days prior to slaughter were determined. Except for muscle there were no differences in tissue levels of free testosterone between treated and untreated calves. Concentrations of free testosterone (pg/g) in tissues of feedlot heifers were as follows: kidney, 685 to 256; fat, 340 to 178; liver, 193 to 39 and muscle 92 to 16. In slaughter bulls concentrations of free testosterone (ng/g) were as follows: fat, >10; kidney, 2.8; liver, .75 and muscle, .29 to .78. Free plasma testosterone was higher in treated calves (258 to 512 pg/ml) than in female control calves (62 pg/ml) but lower than in male controls (543 pg/ml). Concentration of free testosterone in milk was less than 50 pg/ml at estrus and threefold higher during the luteal phase of the cycle. The ratio of free to conjugated testosterone was 1:1 in milk and plasma of untreated female calves and 4:1 in plasma of treated calves. In tissues of all animals examined conjugated testosterone was highest in liver (70 to 85% of total testosterone), followed by kidney (29 to 44%) and muscle (up to 17%); it was not detectable in fat.

¹ Presented as part of the Symposium on Natural Hormones in Edible Animal Products, held during the A.S.A.S. Annual Meeting at Texas A&M University, August 16, 1976. Publication supported in part by DHEW/PHS/FDA/BVM contract No. 221-76-0129.

² Authors express appreciation to Dr. E. Forchielli, Syntex Research, Palo Alto, California, for providing the tissue samples from feedlot heifers and his help in arranging the mass-spectrometry. This work was supported with a research grant from the Bundesministerium fiir Forschung und Technologie.