Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 9, 2026

Isolation of Rat Adipose Tissue Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Differentiation into Insulin-producing Cells
Published on: August 29, 2022
Adipose Tissue is a Potential Source of Hyperandrogenism in Obese Female Rats
Isabel Viola Wagner1,2,3, Lena Sahlin1,4, Iuliia Savchuk1
1Pediatric Endocrinology Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Objective:
Obesity in females is often associated with metabolic complications and hyperandrogenism, but the sources of androgens are not completely understood. Therefore, this study investigated whether adipose tissue could be a source of androgens promoting hyperandrogenism development in obese female rats.
Methods:
Gene expression of steroidogenic enzymes and testosterone levels were determined in periovarian and inguinal adipose tissue and in the supernatant of cultured preadipocytes and adipocytes. The conversion of pregnenolone to androgens was analyzed by thin-layer chromatography.
Results:
Substantial amounts of testosterone in adipose tissue (25-153 ng/g tissue) and in the supernatant of adipocytes (0.33-0.69 ng/ten thousand cells]) were found. StAR and steroidogenic enzymes encoded by genes including Cyp11A1, Cyp17A1, Cyp19, Hsd3b2, Hsd17b3, and Srd5a2 were expressed in adipose tissue and cultured cells. Thin layer chromatography data revealed that preadipocytes and adipocytes were able to convert pregnenolone to testosterone. Higher levels for all steroidogenic enzymes were found in both depots of obese animals compared with lean animals, with significantly higher levels in inguinal tissue.
Conclusions:
The whole steroidogenic machinery and capacity for testosterone biosynthesis were found in fat depots of female rats. These findings support the hypothesis that adipose tissue may contribute substantially to the hyperandrogenism in female obesity.
More Related Videos
08:16Infrared Thermography for the Detection of Changes in Brown Adipose Tissue Activity
Published on: September 28, 2022
06:16White and Brown Adipose Grafts: An Approach to Correct Reproductive, Metabolic, and Renal Deficits in Black and Tan Brachyury (BTBR) Obese Mice
Published on: September 9, 2025
Related Concept Videos
Obesity
Infertility in Females
Endometriosis, a condition characterized by abnormal growth of...
External Female Genitals
Disorders of the Female Reproductive System
Drug Dosing: Obese Patients
Potential Energy
Chemical bonds that form attractive forces between atoms also contain potential energy, called chemical energy. When a chemical reaction...