Androgens and estrogens affect hepatic bile acid sulfotransferase in male rats

The effect of estrogens and androgens on hepatic glycolithocholate sulfotransferase activity was studied in male rats. Significant increases in specific activity were noted following treatment of rats for 21 days with 17 beta-estradiol, 17 alpha-ethynylestradiol, and the nonsteroidal estrogen agonists nafoxidine, tamoxifen, and diethylstilbestrol. Similar treatment of male rats with 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone, hydrocortisone, norethindrone, and prolactin did not affect activity. To further assess the effect of androgens, male rats were castrated. Glycolithocholate sulfotransferase activity increased fivefold by 14 days after castration. Treatment of castrated rats with 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone prevented the increase and maintained activity at the level of sham-operated animals. Castrated animals exhibited an additional increment in activity following treatment with 17 alpha-ethynylestradiol: specific activity in these animals rose to levels comparable with those measured in untreated female rats. These data suggest endogenous androgens maximally suppress hepatic glycolithocholate sulfotransferase activity in male rats. The data also indicate that activity is stimulated by estrogenic compounds of varied chemical structure and that stimulation is not solely due to suppression of androgen release by the testes as a consequence of estrogen treatment.