Androgen Biosynthesis by Ovarian Lipoid Cell Tumor

Abstract

A lipoid cell tumor of the ovaries, producing masculinization in a 27-yr-old female, was shown to produce the following steroids in vitro: testosterone, androstenedione and 17α-hydroxyprogesterone. The biosynthesis of testosterone, a very potent androgen, may help to explain the marked masculinization accompanied by normal urinary excretion of 17-KS. It is proposed that the results of similar studies should clarify the classification of ovarian tumors, especially in regard to their steroid synthetic potential and possible cell source of the enzymes responsible for such synthesis.