An Estrogen Effect on 2Oα-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Activity in the Mouse Adrenal1

A 20α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (20α-OHD) activity can be demonstrated by a histochemical staining reaction and by a spectrophotometric assay in the 33,000 ×g supernatant fraction of the adrenal gland of the adult or weanling female mouse. These reactions are not detected in the male adrenal. Injection of 1 μg//day for 1 week of estradiol into the adult or weanling male mouse will induce the adrenal 20α-OHD activity. Injections of testosterone into the female will cause a loss in adrenal activity. The changes in 20α-OHD activity are distinct from those observed for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in the supernatant and Δ6-3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in the particulate fractions of the mouse adrenal. The adrenal 20α-OHD activity first appears in female mice 11–13 days after birth and cannot be detected in retired breeder females. The action of estrogen on the 20α-OHD enzyme is suggested to be one means by which steroid hormone secretion may be regulated in the mouse adrenal gland. (Endocrinology86: 1049, 1970)