Phylogenetic Distribution of Aromatase and Other Androgen-Converting Enzymes in the Central Nervous System*

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Abstract
Metabolism of [3H]androstenedione was studied in brain tissue homogenates of opossum, bird, snake, sea turtle, urodele amphibian, teleost, shark, skate, hagfish and lobster. Estrone, 17.beta.-estradiol, or 17.alpha.-estradiol was formed by central neural tissues of all species, with the exception of the opossum, hagfish and lobster. Aromatase activity was concentrated in the forebrain, although some estrogen was synthesized by mid- or hindbrain homogenates of 2 lower vertebrates (teleost and skate) and the newly hatched chick. 5.alpha.-Androstanedione (5.alpha.-androstane-3,17-dione) or 5.alpha.-dihydrotestosterone were products of metabolism in several nonmammalian vertebrates and in the invertebrate CNS also. 5.alpha.-Reductase was found in all major brain divisions. These and previously reported comparative studies indicate that the ability to aromatize and otherwise transform androgen substrates is a primitive characteristic of the brain that has been widely conserved phylogenetically.

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