Two male and four female human foetuses of 16–20 weeks gestation were perfused with [4-14C]progesterone. Subsequently, testosterone and androstenedione bearing a 14C-label were isolated in significant amounts from the testes and adrenals, respectively, of the male foetuses. Both C19-steroids were also isolated from the perfusate of one of the male foetuses. Neither C19-steroid was present in the livers of the male foetuses or in the ovaries, adrenals, livers or perfusates of the female foetuses.
It is concluded that the mid-term male foetus can readily synthesize testosterone from the large amounts of progesterone of placental origin present in the foetal circulation. The results suggest that the conversion is primarily a testicular function, but a direct or indirect adrenal involvement cannot be excluded.
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