Kinetic mechanism of reduction of testosterone by hepatic 5 beta-reductase of chicken and inhibition of the reductase activity by a secosteroid, an azasteroid and glycyrrhetinic acid.

The present studies on initial velocity of testosterone reduction by hepatic 5 beta-reductase (4-en-3-oxosteroid 5 beta-reductase) of chicken and mode of inhibition of the 5 beta-reduction by 5 beta-dihydrotestosterone and NADP+ indicated that the reduction of testosterone occurred after the 5 beta-reductase bound firstly to NADPH and then to testosterone, forming a ternary complex. After 5 beta-reduction, 5 beta-dihydrotestosterone and then NADP+ were liberated from the complex, following a mechanism of "ordered Bi-Bi". Effect of (4R)-5,10-seco-19-norpregna-4,5-diene-3,10,20-trione (a steroidal 5 alpha-reductase-inhibitor or Secosteroid), diethyl-4-methyl-3-oxo-4-aza-5 alpha-androstane-17 beta-carboxamide (the other steroidal 5 alpha-reductase-inhibitor or 4-MA), and glycyrrhetinic acid (3 beta-hydroxy-11-oxoolean-12-en-30-oic acid, a 5 beta-reductase-inhibitor) was examined upon the 5 beta-reductase activity by double reciprocal plots. The mode of inhibition against testosterone by 4-MA and glycyrrhetinic acid was found to be competitive, while that by Secosteroid was non-competitive.