Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 27, 2026

Heterotypic Three-dimensional In Vitro Modeling of Stromal-Epithelial Interactions During Ovarian Cancer Initiation and Progression
Published on: August 28, 2012
Ovarian lipoid cell tumor. Steroid hormones and ultrastructure
Abstract:
A virilizing, ovarian lipoid cell tumor was removed from a 19-year-old woman with amenorrhea. Light- and electron-microscopic studies of tumor morphology were combined with biochemical measurements of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, estrone, estradiol, and progesterone. Electron microscopy demonstrated cells with the typical ultrastructural features of steroidogenesis. Analysis of extracts from tumor tissue showed high concentrations of progesterone, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, estrone, and estradiol. These extracts from the ovarian lipoid cell tumor contained the following quantities of steroids: testosterone 450 ng/g tissue; dihydrotestosterone 56 ng/g tissue; estrone 233 pg/g tissue; estradiol 10896 pg/g tissue; and progesterone 512 ng/g tissue. Ovarian vein blood of the ovary with the lipoid cell tumor showed these results: testosterone 3276 ng/dl; dihydrotestosterone 311 ng/dl; estrone 69 pg/ml; estradiol 258 pg/ml; and progesterone 8.1 ng/ml. Because of the ultrastructural and biochemical similarities of this tumor to granulosa lutein cells it is concluded that this ovarian lipoid cell tumor probably originated from ovarian stromal cells.
Related Concept Videos
What are Lipids?
Oogenesis
Overview of Fatty Acid Metabolism
Fatty acids are catabolized in a process called beta-oxidation, which takes place in the matrix of the mitochondria and converts their fatty acid chains into two-carbon units of acetyl groups. The acetyl...
Ovaries
On the ovarian surface, a layer of cuboidal...
Ovarian Cycle
Hormonal Control of the Ovarian Cycle
Before puberty, the hypothalamus releases GnRH in a low frequency, low amplitude pulsatile manner. This along with the immature hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis activity, results in low estrogen levels and the absence of a fully functional ovarian cycle. At puberty, GnRH secretion increases in both frequency and...

