Stoffwechsel von Testosteron in Leberschnitten des Menschen

Abstract

The metabolism of testosterone has been studied in tissue slices of human liver. The following metabolites were identified by thin layer chromatography and various color reactions: [DELTA]4-androstene-3,17-dione, 5[alpha]-androstane-3,17-dione, 5[beta]-androstane-3,17-dione, 17[beta]-hydroxy-5[alpha]-androstane-3-one, 17[beta]-hydroxy-5[beta]-androstane-3-one, 5[alpha]-andros-tane-3[alpha], 17[beta]-dione 5[alpha]-androstane-3[beta],17[beta]-dione, 5[beta]-androstane-3[alpha], 17[beta]-dione, 6[beta]-hydroxy- [DELTA] 4-androstene-3,17-dione and 16[alpha] -hydraxy-[DELTA] -androstene-3,17-dione. When incubated with normal liver tissue, testosterone was preferentially reduced to ring A-saturated 5[alpha] -and 5[beta] -compounds, whereas in experiments with cirrhotic liver tissue hydroxylations in position 6[beta] and 16[alpha] mainly occurred. The results obtained here support the concept that in man testosterone can be metabolized directly to the saturated androstanediols ("17[beta]-hydroxyl pathway"); this reaction proceeds via the corresponding saturated 3-keto-17-hydroxyl compounds, and not via the 3-hydroxyl-17-keto compounds.