Androgen Formation from Pregnenolone Sulfate by the Human Fetal Ovary

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Abstract
To assess the capacity of the human fetal ovary to utilize pregnenolone sulfate as a precursor of free steroids, homogenates of fetal ovaries from 3 fetuses (88–124 days) were incubated with 3H-pregnenolone sulfate. The rate of cleavage of pregnenolone sulfate in ovaries was compared to that in adrenals and liver. The rate of cleavage was between 3 and 7 times greater in ovaries than in adrenals and liver from the same fetus. No difference in the rate of cleavage was observed in the ovaries from fetuses of different ages. The various free steroid products from the incubations of the ovaries were isolated, identified and the amounts produced in 2 hr expressed as pmoles/mg protein incubated. Pregnenolone, 17-hydroxypregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone and androstenedione were identified as products in each incubation of fetal ovarian tissue. Although progesterone, testosterone, estradiol and estrone were sought extensively, they were not found as products of pregnenolone sulfate metabolism.

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