Citric Acid and Inositol 187 



Citric acid in the female prostate 



A gland corresponding in structure to the male prostate gland 

 develops occasionally in the female body. It has been described in 

 women but most studies concerning the so-called female prostate 

 have been done with rats (cf. Price, 1944; Huggins, 1945; Mann and 

 Lutwak-Mann, 1951^). In the rat this organ is located in a position 

 similar to that of the male ventral prostate which it also resembles 

 histologically. Ordinarily the incidence of prostate gland in the 

 female rat is very low but by inbreeding it is possible to increase it 

 to 80% or more. With rats from such a colony, Price, Mann and 

 Lutwak-Mann (1949) have shown that the analogy between the 

 female prostate and the male ventral prostate extends to the chemical 

 character of the secretion and that, like its male counterpart, the 

 female prostate produces citric acid, but no fructose. Injections of 

 testosterone brought about a rapid growth of the gland, and a sharp 

 increase in the output of citric acid. In response to daily adminis- 

 tration of 200 /ig. testosterone propionate continued for three weeks, 

 the average weight of the female prostate rose from 2 mg. to 1 12 mg., 

 and the average content of citric acid in the gland from 2 yt^g. to 

 125 /*g.; in male rats of comparable age the average citric acid 

 content of the ventral prostate was 121 /^g. per organ. 



Metabolism and role of seminal citric acid 



It is still largely a matter of conjecture how citric acid is formed 

 in the accessory organs. The rat seminal vesicle, which is a citric 

 acid-producing organ is at the same time remarkable for its low 

 content of aconitase (Humphrey and Mann, 1949), and on this 

 ground one may be inclined to assume that perhaps citric acid 

 accumulates because its further breakdown is prevented by the 

 absence of this enzyme. On the other hand, however, the human 

 prostate, which is also a citric acid-producing organ, has been found 

 to contain aconitase (Barron and Huggins, \9A6b). A circumstance 

 which may bear some relation to the mechanism of citric acid accu- 

 mulation in the bull seminal vesicle, concerns the presence in this 

 gland, and in its secretion, of a heat-labile factor which inhibits 

 the enzymic breakdown of citrate by liver tissue (Humphrey and 

 Mann, 1949). Yet another fact, mentioned briefly in conjunction 



