The metabolism of [4-14C]5-androstene-3 beta, 17 beta-diol by normal human skin in vitro.

Healthy female and male abdominal skin slices were incubated with [4-14C]5-androstene-3 beta, 17 beta-diol. With a reverse isotope dilution method the following metabolites were isolated and identified: 5 alpha-androstane-3,17-dione, 4-androstene-3, 17-dione, 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, androsterone, testosterone, 7-keto-5-androstene-3beta, 17 beta-diol, 7 alpha-hydroxydehydroepiandrosterone sulphate and 5-androstene-3 beta, 17 beta-diol-3-sulphate. The amounts of the metabolites formed showed that [4-14C]5-androstene-3 beta, 17 beta-diol was metabolized in different ways by healthy female and male abdominal skin slices. In female skin the main direction of metabolism leads to the formation of androgenic steroids, while in male skin the main biosynthetic route is the C7-oxidation of the substrate. The fact that 5-androstene-3beta, 17 beta-diol is transformed to a considerable extent to testosterone and 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone proves that in human skin 5-androstene-3 beta, 1m beta-diol is a better precursor of the androgenic steroids than dehydroepiandrosterone or 4-androstene-3, 17-dione.