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Department of Anatomy, The Medical School, University of Birmingham, Vincent Drive, Birmingham, B15 2TJ

(Received 15 December 1977)

The observation that oestrogens reduce the serum level of testosterone, whereas the level of luteinizing hormone (LH) remains normal (Danutra, Harper, Boyns, Cole, Brownsey & Griffiths, 1973; Chowdhury, Tcholakian & Steinberger, 1974), has led to the suggestion that oestrogens directly inhibit testicular function. In addition, oestrogens appear to block the stimulatory effects of exogenous LH on the male accessory sex organs (Sivelle, McNeilly & Collins, 1977), an effect which could be due to oestrogen inhibiting the stimulatory effects of LH on androgen production by the Leydig cells (Moger, 1976). Alternatively, oestrogens may have affected testosterone metabolism by the accessory sex organs as demonstrated by Leav, Morfin, Ofner, Cavazos & Leeds (1971) in oestrogen-treated dogs. To provide evidence for a direct effect of oestrogens and to determine if this occurs at the testicular