Acid phosphatases: androgen dependent markers of rat prostate

Our investigations on acid phosphatase (AP) were aimed at finding a biochemical assay marker for androgen actions in the rat prostrate. We quantitatively examined the effects of l-tartrate or formaldehyde on AP activity in tissue filtrates from nine adult male rat tissues, plasma and hemolysed red blood cells (HRBC). There was significant inhibition of AP activity in all instances with the exception of HRBC with tartrate. The prostate inhibition results were not different from those for seminal vesicles and adrenals but were different from the other tissues studied. Ten days following castration the inhibition by tartrate was less in all tissues studied except plasma and HRBC; the formaldehyde inhibition percentages were not altered.