Metabolism of [4-14C]androstenedione by cells cultured from human amniotic fluid

The conversion of [14C]androstenedione by human fibroblast (F) and amniotic fluid (AF) cells obtained by amniocentesis was investigated using human dermal fibroblasts (DF) as controls. Cell suspensions were incubated with [14C]androstenedione in the presence of a NADPH generating system. Steroid reaction products were separated from unreacted substrate by chromatography on micro-columns of magnesium oxide, partially resolved by partition chromatography on celite and further characterized by thin-layer chromatography and recrystallization to constant specific activity. In the case of F cells the pattern of metabolism was qualitatively similar to that of DF cells; the predominant metabolite was testosterone and several uncharacterized metabolites were detectable. However testosterone was the only metabolite isolated from incubations with AF cells. The results demonstrate distinct differences in the capacity of AF and F type cells to metabolize [14C]androstenedione and support the view that F cells resemble typical fibroblasts from dermis or other connective tissues.