Abstract

A variety of patterns of postnatal development were observed for acetohexamide reductase activities in microsomes and cytosols from the liver and kidney of male and female rats. Furthermore, there were pronounced sex-related differences in the activities of liver and kidney microsomes. Prepubertal and neonatal testectomies decreased markedly the activities in liver and kidney microsomes of adult male rats to the female levels. The activities in liver and kidney microsomes decreased by prepubertal testectomy and the activity in kidney microsomes decreased by neonatal testectomy were restored to control levels by testosterone propionate treatment, whereas the activity in liver microsomes decreased by neonatal testectomy was unaffected by the same treatment. Prepubertal or neonatal testectomy had no effect on the activity in liver or kidney cytosol of adult male rats. Prepubertal ovariectomy decreased the activities in liver and kidney cytosols of adult female rats and the decreased activities were restored to control levels by estradiol benzoate treatment. Based on these results, we propose that the postnatal development and sex-related difference of acetohexamide reductase activities in rat liver and kidney can be regulated by sex hormones such as testosterone propionate and estradiol benzoate.