Formula omitted] pregnenolone metabolism by mouse adrenal gland : I-estrogen synthesis

Abstract

Adrenal gland homogenates from four different strains of mice were incubated with (4 - 14C)-pregnenolone and a NADPH generating system. Although quantitative differences between high and low mammary tumor strains occured, all mice synthesized estrone. The highest aromatase activity was found 2 months after castration of the (C3H × RIII) F1 mice when castration was performed at 4 days of age this activity was lower in the C3H mice and almost negligible in the RIII and C57BL mice. The following trivial names and abbreviations have been used in this paper • Pregnenolone = 3α -hydroxy-5-pregnen -20-one • Estrone (E 1) = 3α -hydroxy-1,3,5 (10)-estratrien -17-one • Estradiol-17 β(E 2) = 1,3,5 (10)-estratriene-3, 17β -diol