title: Increased 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 and 17α-hydroxylase activities in a virilized adolescent female with adrenal adenoma: A case report.
abstract: In the present study, the case of a female patient with pseudo-hermaphrodism caused by an androgen-producing adrenocortical tumor is presented, and the possible mechanism is investigated. The expression of the luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotrophin (LH/hCG) receptor in tumor tissues and normal adrenal tissues was analyzed using immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, the activities of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 (HSD2), cytochrome P450 17α-hydroxylase (CYP17) and 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 3 (HSD3) enzymes were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the expression levels of 3β-HSD2, 17β-HSD3, CYP17 and LH/hCG receptor mRNA were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Immunohistochemical staining for the LH/hCG receptor was negative in the tumor tissue and positive in the normal adrenal tissue. The activities of 3β-HSD2 and CYP17 in the tumor tissue were higher than those in the normal tissue (P<0.01), whereas the activity of 17β-HSD3 was lower (P<0.01). The mRNA levels of 3β-HSD2 and CYP17 were higher (P<0.01) and the levels of 17β-HSD3 and LH/hCG receptor were lower (P<0.01) in the tumor tissue compared with those of the normal tissue. In conclusion, in the present study, a rare case of virilization by an androgen-producing adrenocortical tumor is present. The results indicate that it may be associated with increased activities of 3β-HSD2 and CYP17 but not with the expression of the LH/hCG receptor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Guoqing
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jingtao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dou
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiaolin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Weijun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zhaohui
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: DU
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jianming
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ba
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yiming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mu
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Juming
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lu
keywords: 17α-hydroxylase; 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase; androgen-producing adrenocortical tumor; pseudo-hermaphrodism; virilization