Premium
Enhanced dehydroepiandrosterone synthesis by amnion compared to chorion: A comparative study using the reverse‐isotope dilution technique
Author(s) -
Loganath A.,
Peh K.L.,
Wong Y.C.,
Ng S.C.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
molecular reproduction and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.745
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1098-2795
pISSN - 1040-452X
DOI - 10.1002/1098-2795(200103)58:3<276::aid-mrd5>3.0.co;2-q
Subject(s) - amnion , dehydroepiandrosterone , biology , pregnenolone , isotope dilution , endocrinology , fetus , medicine , metabolite , estrone , androgen , biochemistry , hormone , chromatography , pregnancy , steroid , chemistry , mass spectrometry , genetics
Abstract With a view to establishing whether the term human fetal membranes possess the enzymic ability to synthesize dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) from pregnenolone, homogenates of amnion and chorion obtained from women (n = 5, age 27–34 years) after spontaneous labor at term (37–42 weeks gestation) from uncomplicated pregnancies were incubated with [7n‐ 3 H]pregnenolone as substrate. Reverse‐isotope dilution analysis gave positive identification of [ 3 H]DHEA acetate in all incubations of viable tissues. No such metabolite was evident in control incubations with heat‐denatured tissues. Virtually radiochemically pure esters under three recrystallizations were obtained with mean concentrations of between 15787 and 30137 dpm mol −1 for amnion which was considerably higher than that of chorionic tissues at 4316–5528 dpm mol −1 . The magnitude of elevation in DHEA production by amnion was noted to be between 3.6‐ and 5.5‐fold higher than the corresponding chorion. This study provides evidence that the fetal membranes possess 17‐α hydroxylase and C‐17, 20 lyase activities capable of synthesis of DHEA, an important androgen necessary for aromatization to estrogens in need by the developing fetus. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 58:276–280, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.