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Influence of castration and testosterone treatment on the vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor/effector system in
M J Carmena1, M N Recio, J C Prieto
1Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
Abstract:
The interaction of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) with prostatic epithelial cells was studied after castration and testosterone replacement in pubertal and mature rats. The number of VIP receptors (but not the affinity) decreased 2 days after castration and returned to normal when subsequently treated with testosterone for 4 days. However, the stimulatory effect of VIP upon cyclic AMP accumulation was unaffected by the androgen withdrawal elicited by the surgical procedure. The results suggest the importance of androgens in the biosynthesis of VIP receptors and also in their coupling to adenylate cyclase by affecting the membrane fluidity.