17α,20α-Dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one is a competitive inhibitor of C17,20-lyase activity in rat testicular tissue in vitro and the significance of this inhibition in vitro was evaluated for testosterone biosynthesis in rat and rabbit testis in vivo. It is concluded that 17α,20α-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one is not involved in the regulation of C17,20-activity in vivo, because it was not possible to detect any 17α,20α-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one in rat and rabbit testicular tissue or in testicular venous blood. If present, the levels are lower than 10 pmol/g testis. Levels of 17α-hydroxyprogester-one are in the order of 50 pmol/g testis. The C17,20-lyase has a higher affinity for 17α-hydroxyprogesterone than for 17α,20α-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one and hence inhibition under in-vivo conditions is not favoured. In rat testes the 20α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity, which can convert 17α-hydroxyprogesterone to 17α,20α-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one, was found to be mainly (97%) localized in the seminiferous tubules and not at the site of testosterone formation in the interstitial tissue.