Non-polar extracts of serum from males contain covert radioimmunoassayable testosterone

Non-polar extracts of sera from human males contain immunoreactive testosterone in a form that is released by mild alkaline hydrolysis. The non-polar derivative shows no immunoreactivity with testosterone antibody prior to hydrolysis. Hydrolyzed non-polar serum extracts from ten adult male volunteers contained 2.0 +/- 0.8 (SD) ng/mL of testosterone. Neither non-polar serum extracts of normal females nor a water blank substituted for non-polar extract of serum yields any immunoreactive testosterone after alkaline hydrolysis. Testosterone palmitate hydrolyzed alone or after addition to non-polar extract of serum yields the expected quantities of radioimmunoassayable testosterone. Previously described conjugates of testosterone are polar and are neither extractable by petroleum ether nor hydrolyzable by alkali. These observations suggest that fatty acid esters of testosterone may be present in serum of human males.