Widespread tissue distribution of steroid sulfatase, 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/delta 5-delta 4 isomerase (3 beta-HSD), 17 beta-HSD 5 alpha-reductase and aromatase activities in the rhesus monkey.

Dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S), the main secretory product of the human adrenal, requires the presence of steroid sulfatase, 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/delta 5-delta 4 isomerase (3 beta-HSD), 17 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17 beta-HSD), 5 alpha-reductase, and aromatase to form the active androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and the estrogens 17 beta-estradiol (E2) and 5-androst-ene-3 beta,17 beta-diol (delta 5-diol) in peripheral target tissues. Because humans, along with non-human primates are unique in having adrenals that secrete large amounts of DHEA-S, the present study investigated the tissue distribution of the enzymatic activity of the above-mentioned steroidogenic enzymes required for the formation of active sex steroids in the male and female rhesus monkey. Estrone and DHEA sulfatase activities were measured in all 25 tissues examined, and with the exception of the salivary glands, estrogenic and androgenic 17 beta-HSDs were present in all the tissues examined. The adrenal, small and large intestine, kidney, liver, lung, fat, testis, prostate, seminal vesicle, ovary, myometrium, and endometrium all possess the above-mentioned enzymatic activities, thus suggesting that these tissues could possibly form the biologically active steroids E2 and DHT from the adrenal precursor DHEA-S. On the other hand, the oviduct, cervix, mammary gland, heart, and skeletal muscle possess all the enzymatic activities required to synthesize E2 from DHEA-S. The present study describes the widespread tissue distribution of steroid sulfatase, 3 beta-HSD, 17 beta-HSD, 5 alpha-reductase, and aromatase activities in rhesus monkey peripheral tissues.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)