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STEROID METABOLISM IN THE BRAIN OF OVINE FETUSES.
Author(s) -
Ramírez María Esther Bautista,
Gómez Yolanda Gómez y,
Pardo Marta Romano,
Infante Verónica Chávez
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.20.5.a882
Subject(s) - endocrinology , estrone , medicine , fetus , cerebellum , metabolite , androstenedione , hypothalamus , biology , chemistry , metabolism , testosterone (patch) , thin layer chromatography , androgen , hormone , chromatography , pregnancy , genetics
In this work we had investigated the capability of the fetal ovine brain to metobolize steroid precursors Tritiated androstenedione (A43H) was employed as precursor and the metabolic products were detected by thin layer chromatography (TLC) Fetuses of 3.6 to 12 inches in crown‐rump (C‐R) length were obtained immediately after the slaughtering of animals and transferred to phosphate‐buffer in cold. The brains were carefully dissected and cells were obtained from different regions by trypsin dissociation. The isolated cells were incubated in Dulbecco's medium and A4‐3H for one hour at 370C and the metabolic products were separated and identified by TLC. Four brain regions and the gonads were studied Estrone (E1), 17β‐estradiol (E2) and testosterone (T) were produced by frontal lobe, hypothalamus, mesencephalon and cerebellum The females’ frontal lobes of 10.8” fetuses (C‐R) showed the highest percentage of transformation to E1 8% while in the males E1, T and E2 were 2%. The hypothalamus of the smallest males showed the percentage of transformation to E1 25% and T 13% E1 was the most abundant metabolite in the mesencephalon of males and females at all the ages studied Females’ cerebellum of 11.2” fetuses showed the greatest percentage of transformation to E1 8%, while in the males T synthesis was 4%. These results strongly suggest that during the development of the ovine brain, the cytochrome P450arom and 17HSD enzymes are present and functional. CONACYT 4/423 Q