Quantitative metabolic profiling of testicular steroid secretions with bonded-phase capillary gas chromatography

A procedure is described for quantitative metabolic profiling of nine steroids secreted by mouse testes. The procedure incorporates Celite column chromatography and a gas chromatograph equipped with a bonded-phase capillary column. Validation tests demonstrated that the procedure is precise, efficient, sensitive, and capable of providing information about the spectrum of steroids secreted by testes perfused in vitro. The procedure was used to determine the effect of the hemimelic extra toes gene mutation on the steroidogenic potential of inbred mouse testes perfused in vitro.