Difluoromethylornithine enhancement of putrescine uptake into the prostate: concise communication.

We studied the effect of alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), an irreversible inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase, on putrescine uptake by the rat prostate. Using C-14 putrescine, we found a several-fold increase in uptake by both the dorsal and ventral prostates of DFMO-pretreated intact animals, compared with untreated controls. When previously castrated animals were treated with a combination of testosterone and DFMO, the prostatic uptake of exogenously administered C-14 putrescine increased more than tenfold. Under these conditions, DFMO enhanced the uptake by the prostate to a greater extent than by any other tissue studies.