Sex difference in adrenal heme and cytochrome P-450 metabolism: evidence for the repressive regulatory role of testosterone.

A novel aspect of the regulation of heme biosynthesis and cytochrome P-450 concentration in rat adrenals, as pertains to the repressive role of testosterone, is described. Also, the presence of a sex difference in the activities of delta-aminolevulinate (ALA) synthetase and heme oxygenase, as well as the concentrations of heme and cytochrome P-450 in the adrenal mitochondrial and the microsomal fractions, are defined. The female rats displayed a nearly 2-fold higher value for the listed parameters. Castration of rats caused an elevation of ALA synthetase activity to approximate that of the female rats, whereas testosterone replacement depressed the enzyme activity to the level of the sham-operated animals. Moreover, female rats treated with testosterone showed a marked depression in adrenal ALA synthetase activity. This was accompanied by significant reductions in the mitochondrial and microsomal contents of cytochrome P-450 and heme. Heme oxygenase activity was neither altered by castration nor by the testosterone treatment of castrated and female rats. It is suggested that the adrenal ALA synthetase activity is regulated by plasma testosterone levels which, in turn, regulates the production of heme and the cellular levels of heme and cytochrome P-450. The mode of action of testosterone appears to be repressive in nature.