20α-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase and 3α-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase in Human Fetal Liver

Abstract
Homogenates of human fetal liver were incubated with progesterone-4-C14 with or without a TPNH generating system, and 20α-hydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one and 5β- pregnane-3α-20α-diol were identified as products of progesterone metabolism. These findings indicate that the fetal liver has developed a 20α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and a 3a-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase by the 25th week of development.