Metabolism of Intravenously Administered 17α-[6,7-3H]Estradiol-17-Glucoside in Normal Women

Abstract

17α-[6,7-3H]estradiol-17-glucoside was injected intravenously into two normal young women. Within 72 h, 60 and 46% of the 3H dose was excreted in the urine in the two experiments. In the first 6 h, 4 and 1.4% of the dose was excreted as the unchanged glucoside, together with 14 and 5% in the form of a double conjugate, identified as 17α-estradiol-3-glucuronide-17-glucoside. Over the periods 6–24 h and 24–48 h none of the injected glucoside and only minor amounts of the double conjugate were present in the urine. The main excretory product after 6 h was 17 α-estradiol-17-glucuronide. This latter result contrasts with that obtained in previous experiments in which 17β-estradiol-6,7-3H-17-glucoside was injected, and in which the main monoconjugates excreted were the 3-glucuronides of 17β-estradiol and estrone.