Lipids of Human Testes Removed at Orchidectomy

Summary. Lipid and fatty acid analyses have been made on the testes of sixteen human subjects obtained at orchidectomy. About 60% of the total lipid was phosphatide, 12 % triglyceride, 6 % free cholesterol and 2 % esterified cholesterol. Phosphatidyl choline was the chief phosphatide present, followed by phosphatidyl ethanolamine. Other phosphatides were phosphatidyl serine, phosphatidyl inositol and sphingomyelin. The major saturated fatty acids found in the total lipids were palmitic and stearic while the major monoenoic acid was oleic. A 20-carbon triene of the linoleic acid family (20:3 w6) was present in significant quantities together with arachidonate and 22:6 w3. Only small amounts of 22:5 were present and isomers of both the linoleic and linolenic acids were present in this fraction. Histological studies revealed active spermatogenesis in over 50 % of the testes analysed. In five cases with marked tissue degeneration, the concentration of total phosphatides was lower than in the other samples. In four of these, the concentration of 22:6 was lower than in the other samples. It is suggested that this polyenoic acid may be associated with the testicular germinal cells.