Studies on the sequential hydroxylation of progesterone to corticosteroids by domestic duck (anas platyrhynchos) adrenal gland preparations in vitro

Abstract

Domestic duck adrenal gland mitochondrial suspensions efficiently transformed progesterone-414C to carbon-14 labeled 11 β -hydroxyprogesterone.2 The biosynthetically prepared ll β -hydroxyprogesterone-414C was in turn incubated in equimolar mixtures with DOC-1.2-3H on the one hand and with progesterone- l, 23H on the other in the presence of surviving duck adrenal gland slices in vitro. In these experiments, ll β -OH-P14C was freely transformed to corticosterone, 18-hydroxycorticosterone and aldosterone. From these experiments and from a further one, utilizing equimolar amounts of progesterone-414C and DOC- 1, 23H as substrates and duck adrenal slices as the source of enzymes, the conclusion could be drawn that both the C-ll, C-21 and C-21, C-ll hydroxylation sequences are important under the experimental conditions used. © 1970 by The Endocrine Society.