Abstract
THE oxidation of œstradiol to œstrone and œstriol in the pathway of degradation of the œstrogens has been inferred from in vivo studies in which œstrone and œstriol were found in the urine of the male human1 and œstrone in the urine of other mammals2 after the administration of large amounts of œstradiol. More recently, Ryan and Engel3 found an in vitro interconversion of œstradiol and œstrone by tissue-slice preparations of several organs of the rat and man. Using counter-current distribution to achieve separation of the steroids, an accumulation of either œstradiol or œstrone was found when the other œstrogen was present in the substrate. These workers were not able to demonstrate formation or utilization of œstriol. We have observed the de novo formation of œstrone and œstriol from labelled œstradiol by human-tissue slice and homogenate preparations from a variety of organs.
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DOWBEN, R., RABINOWITZ, J. Oxidation in vitro of Radioactive Œstradiol by Preparations of Human Tissue. Nature 178, 696 (1956). https://doi.org/10.1038/178696a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/178696a0
