Influence of sex hormones on prostatic secretion protein, a major protein in rat prostate

Prostatic secretion protein (PSP) or estramustine-binding protein is a major protein in rat ventral prostate. The amount of PSP was measured per mg of cytosolic protein at different ages and after castration or administration of sex hormones. The amount of PSP is relatively low before puberty (25 microgram/mg of protein) but increases at about 28 days of age to about 670 microgram/mg of protein and then decreases to a constant level of about 300 to 400 microgram/mg of protein, which is stable until at least 9 months of age. Following castration, the amount of PSP decreased relatively slowly, but 6 days after castration less than 20% of the original amount of PSP was detected. Treatment with testosterone propionate (1 mg/day) for 2 weeks (starting 2 weeks after castration) restored precastration levels of PSP. It is concluded that PSP is an androgen-sensitive protein, and it is suggested that PSP should be considered as a probe for estimation of androgenic action on the prostate. PSP is similar to the so-called prostatic binding protein as well as to prostatein, and it is quite possible that the three proteins represent one and the same entity.