PATHWAYS IN THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF ANDROSTENEDIONE IN THE HUMAN OVARY IN VITRO

Abstract

ABSTRACT Human ovarian tissue was incubated with pregnenolone and progesterone simultaneously, one labelled with 3H, the other with 14C. Isolation and quantitation of metabolites indicated that the preferred pathway to androstenedione from pregnenolone was through the Δ5-intermediates, in normal tissue, as well as in tissue from a patient with the Stein-Leventhal's syndrome. Metabolism of pregnenolone was essentially unaffected by the progesterone concentration in the medium. Addition of human chorionic gonadotrophin to the medium did not influence the relative utilization of the two substrates for biosynthesis of androstenedione.