Androgen and Estrogen Synthesis in the Fetal Guinea Pig Gonad12

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Abstract
Bisected fetal guinea pig ovaries and testes were examined in vitro for their ability to synthesize androgens from [1-14C]sodium acetate and estrogens from either [1-3H]androstenedione or [1,2-3H]androstenedione. With [1-14C]sodium acetate as the substrate, hexane-soluble steroids, androstenedione and testosterone were synthesized by fetal testes from Day 30 to 65 of development. To a lesser extent, ovaries also synthesized hexane-soluble steroids, but only when ovaries from various stages of gestation were pooled was the synthesis of 14C-androstenedione detected. Radioactive testosterone was not detected in ovarian incubations and at no time was 14C-dihydrotestosterone produced by fetal ovaries or testes. More radioactive testosterone and androstenedione (d/min x mg tissue) appeared in Day 30 testicular incubations than in incubations of organs from later stages of development. In addition, between Days 30 and 50 of gestation more testosterone than androstenedione was recovered from the medium, but by Day 60-65 androstenedione predominated. Total activity (d/min x gonad) generally paralleled organ weight and increased with advancing gestation.