A systematic study of biochemical differences between the lobes of the rat prostate

Abstract

Biochemical parameters which could be used to monitor the isolated function [normal and pathological] of various prostate lobes and accessory sex glands in the rat were investgated. Various parameters were measured in the 105,000 .times. g supernatants of the ventral, lateral and dorsal prostate lobes, and in the coagulating glands and seminal vesicles. These included spermine, citric acid, acid phosphatase, fructose and Zn as well as the pattern of proteins in both cytosols and secretions, which were determined using 1-dimensional SDS [sodium dodecyl sulfate] polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Several parameters can be used, including: for ventral lobe.sbd.spermine or prostatein; lateral lobe.sbd.Zn or a 15,000 dalton protein; dorsal lobe.sbd.spermine or a 60,000 dalton protein; and coagulating gland.sbd.fructose.