Epoxide metabolizing enzyme activities in rat testes: postnatal development and relative activity in interstitial and spermatogenic cell compartments.

Microsomal epoxide hydrase (EH) and 176 000 g supernatant fraction glutathione-S-transferase (GSH-S-T) activities were determined with styrene oxide as substrate in rat testes during postnatal development. The development of these enzymes was also followed in liver for comparison. Testes of 6-day-old rats had high GSH-S-T activities (66 nmol/min/mg protein), which were about 50% of the adult levels. Transferase activity then developed slowly and reached a maximum by 165 days of age. Specific testicular GSH-S-T activities of 6-day-old rats were 3--4 times those of hepatic GSH-S-T activities in the same animals. In contrast, EH activities of both liver and testes were very low in prepubertal rats, but they increased dramatically at the onset of puberty and reached maximum activities by 45 days of age. Microsomal and microsomal supernatant fractions prepared from adult rat spermatogenic cells had about twice the EH and GSH-S-T specific activities (with styrene oxide or benzo[a]pyrene 4,5-oxide as substrates) of similar fractions prepared from interstitial cells. On the other hand, benzo[a]pyrene hydroxylase (AHH) activity and cytochrome P-450 content were at least 2-fold greater in microsomes from interstitial cells than in those from spermatogenic cells.