Pryogalloloestrogens -- a new group of oestrogen metabolites

After incubation of radioactive catecholoestrogen monomethyl ethers with rat liver slices the following well known metabolic pathways were observed: 1) demethylation, 2) 16alpha-hydroxylation, 3) oxidoreduction at C-atom 17, and 4) conjugation with glutathione, sulphuric acid and glucuronic acid. In addition, for the first time a further aromatic ortho-hydroxylation, leading to pyrogalloloestrogen derivatives, was detected. Thus, the incubation of 2-methoxyoestrone yielded 2,4-dihydroxyoestrone 2-methyl ether as the main metabolite of the lipophile fraction. Under the same conditions, 4-methoxyoestrone was converted to 2,4-dihydroxyoestrone 4-methyl ether and 2,4-dihydroxyoestradiol-17beta 4-methyl ether; these compounds were the quantitatively most important metabolites not only in the lipophile but also in the sulphate and glucuronide fractions. The identity of these new metabolic products was established by chromatography, microchemical reactions and recrystallisation to constant specific radioactivity.