Hydroxylation of 19-norandrogens by porcine Leydig cells

The metabolism of 19-norandrogens by porcine Leydig cells was investigated. Non-radioactive 19-norandrostenedione (19-Nor A) and [3H]19-nortestosterone (19-Nor T) were used as substrates in incubations with cell preparations from mature male pigs. Steroid products were separated by reversed-phase HPLC and material in selected peaks was rechromatographed before attempts to identify them by GC-MS. Both 11 beta- and 6 beta-hydroxylated derivatives of 19-Nor A were found and a third product (11-oxo-19-Nor A) was tentatively identified. The profile of radioactive metabolites from [3H]19-Nor T also favours the view of a capacity for hydroxylation of 19-norandrogens by porcine Leydig cells. The significance of these findings together with our earlier report of direct 11 beta-hydroxylation of C19 steroids by such cells remains to be examined.