[Metabolism of ecdysone in several organs of Carcinus maenas L. incubated in vitro].

Tissues of the crab Carcinus maenas in premolt were incubated in vitro with tritiated ecdysone. The digestive tract, the ovaries, the testis the hepatopancreas and epidermis fragments convert into ecdysterone. This conversion, which does not occur in other organs including the Y organs, is the only important in vitro metabolic pathway of ecdysone observed in this study.