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FATTY ACID BIOSYNTHESIS IN THE TESTIS OF THE HUMAN FETUS DURING THE FIRST TRIMESTER

Endocrine Research Laboratory, Departments of Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, D.C. 20059, U.S.A.

(Received 4th December 1974)

Lipid biosynthesis in the adult testis in several species has been reported (Davis, Bridges & Coniglio, 1966; Bridges & Coniglio, 1970; Carpenter, 1971; Ayala, Gaspar, Brenner, Peluffo & Kunau, 1973). Similar studies in the fetal testis are not available. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of the testis of the human fetus during the first trimester to synthesize fatty acids from labelled substrates.

The compounds purchased from the Applied Science Laboratory, State College, Pennsylvania, were 99% pure [1-¹⁴C]linoleic acid (all cis; sp. act., 52·5 mCi/mmol) and 99% pure [1-¹⁴C]arachidonic acid (all cis; sp. act., 52·5 mCi/mmol); [1,2-¹⁴C]sodium acetate (sp. act., 54 mCi/mmol) was received from New England Nuclear Corp., Boston, Massachusetts.

Undamaged abortuses were obtained from the