On the significance of 5 alpha-androstane-3 alpha,17 beta-diol in the peripubertal female rat.
The biological effects of exogenous 5 alpha-androstane-3 alpha,17 beta-diol (3 alpha-diol) and its 3 beta-epimer (3 beta-diol) on sexual maturation were assessed in Sprague-Dawley rats. Chronic administration of 3 alpha-diol, but not of 3 beta-diol, prevented ovulation and suppressed uterine and ovarian development. Vaginal opening was advanced by 3 alpha-diol, but neither vaginal cytology nor ovarian histology revealed any signs of ovarian cyclicity. When administered acutely, 3 alpha-diol prevented the estrogen-priming required for the triggering of gonadotropin surges by progesterone as well as the estrogen-sensitization of pituitary gonadotrophs to LHRH stimulation. Plasma concentrations of endogenous free 3 alpha- and 3 beta-diol and of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone were assessed during spontaneous and PMSG-induced sexual maturation. The observations are compatible with the postulate of a puberty-related shift in ovarian biosynthetic pathways from the preferential 5 alpha-reduction of progesterone to the production of aromatizable androgens.
D000728:Androgens / Q000097:blood; D015113:Androstane-3,17-diol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000732:Androstanols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D004343:Drug Implants; D005260:Female; D006064:Gonadotropins, Equine / Q000494:pharmacology; D007106:Immune Sera; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012741:Sexual Maturation / Q000187:drug effects*; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
D000728:Androgens; D000732:Androstanols; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D004343:Drug Implants; D006064:Gonadotropins, Equine; D007106:Immune Sera; D015113:Androstane-3,17-diol