16β-hydroxylation of dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate by homogenates of human foetal liver

Abstract

The chemical syntheses of the 3-sulphates of 16 α-acetoxy-, 16 α-hydroxy- and 16 β-hydroxy-dehydroepiandrosterone as their triethylammonium salts are described preparatory to studies of the metabolism of [7 α-3 H]dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate by homogenates of human foetal liver. Five main radioactive products of the incubation were separated by partition chromatography on a Celite column. Two were identified as 16 α-and 16 β-hydroxydehydroepiandrosterone 3-sulphates by crystallization to constant specific radioactivity before and after solvolysis. The yields of the conversion to the two epimers were 24.4% (16 α) and 1.8% (16 beta).