In vitro oestrogen biosynthesis by human polycystic ovaries

In vitro steroid biogenesis by human polycystic ovaries has been investigated in four patients. Aliquots from each ovarian homogenate were incubated in virto with tritiated pregnenolone, dehydroepiandro-sterone and androstenedione. Labeled metabolites were isolated and identified by crystallizations to constant S.A. The general pattern of steroid metabolism in those four cases is very similar to that reported from incubations of normal ovarian tissue. It should be noticed particularly that significant amounts of oestrone and oestradiol were recovered from each incubation, whatever the substrate. This finding does not match with a lack of aromatization, therefore it is suggested that such enzyme deficiencies in the polycystic ovaries are not so common as it is generally assumed in the literature. A ratio of oestrone to oestradiol lower than one was observed in most of the polycystic ovary incubations, whereas in normal ovaries that ratio is usualy higher than one. That trend is the only descrepancy that is suggested by the comparison between normal and polycystic ovaries. However, such difference could be the result rather than the origin of the menstrual cycle disturbance. © 1977.SCOPUS: ar.j