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Metabolism of Steroids by Transplantable Mouse Interstitial Cell Tumor¹

Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Biotransformation of steroid hormones by a spontaneous interstitial cell tumor originating from a BALB/cJ mouse has been studied in vitro. Tumor tissue grown in a female host converted estrone predominantly to estradiol-17β. The same tissue transformed estradiol-17β to estrone to a considerably lesser extent. Incubation of the tumor tissue with androstenedione yielded testosterone as the principal conversion product and several other metabolites with chromatographic characteristics of 11β-hydroxytestosterone, 11β-hydroxyandrostene-dione, and 11-ketotestosterone. Interstitial cell tumors grown in male and female hosts transformed progesterone to testosterone, 20-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one, androstenedione, and 11-deoxycorticosterone. The tumor tissue in vitro showed the presence of enzyme systems which are commonly found in testis tissue as well as steroid 11β- and 21-hydroxylases which are normally localized in adrenocortical cells. Testis tissue from animals bearing interstitial cell tumor formed in vitro less testosterone from progesterone than testes from normal animals.

¹ This study was supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute of Canada and the Medical Research Council of Canada.

Received 10/30/68. Accepted 4/24/69.