Abstract
Summary
Under resting conditions, castrated, testosterone-treated, unanesthetized dogs with prostatic fistulas secreted prostatic fluid at a very low rate; fluid collected under these conditions was hypotonic and its concentrations of sodium, potassium, and chloride were lower than those of serum. After the intravenous administration of pilocarpine the rate of secretion immediately increased and then slowly declined during 75 min of observation. At the same time the fluid became isotonic and the concentrations of sodium and chloride rose to 1.0 and 1.4 times those of serum, respectively, and remained at these values. The potassium concentration rose immediately after pilocarpine to 2.1 times that of serum but fell within 15 min to values near that found in the resting secretion. On the basis of these results, the secretion of sodium, potassium, and chloride by the prostate gland are discussed, and it is concluded that the secretion of chloride might be the primary process involved in the formation of canine prostatic fluid.
It is a pleasure to acknowledge the assistance of Dr. Vladimir Ilievski, Miss Beverly Blake, Mr. Steven Gould, and Miss Helen Peters.
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