Origin of Estrogen in Normal Men and in Women with Testicular Feminization*

TLDR

The study quantified estrone and estradiol production sources in normal men and women with testicular feminization. Men produced 58 μg E1 and 44 μg E2 per day, all of which could be explained by extraglandular aromatization of plasma androstenedione, testosterone, and conversion of secreted E2. In men, ≤12 μg E2 per day remained unexplained and was attributed to testicular secretion, whereas women produced 99 μg E1 and 77 μg E2 per day, with 44 μg E2 per day unaccounted for by extraglandular pathways and attributed to testicular secretion; testosterone production was higher in women (8.3 mg /24 h) than men (5.7 mg /24 h) with a wide range. J.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to quantify the various sources of estrone (E1) and 17β-estradiol (E2) production i n normal men and in women with testicular feminization. The mean production rate of E1 in four young adult men was 58 μg/ 24 h, while that of E2 was 44 μg/24 h. In these men, E1 production could be accounted for totally by extraglandular formation through 1) aromatization of plasma androstenedione, 2) conver(sion of E)2 which was formed from the aromatization of plasma testosterone, and 3) conversion of secreted E2. In these men, only 12 μg or less of E2 production could not be accounted for by extraglandular formation from plasma C19 precursors, and is presumed to have arisen by testicular secretion. In six women with testicular feminization, the mean produc(tion rate of E1 was 99 μg/24 h, while that of E)2 was 77 μg/24 h. The amount of E2 production that arose by glandular secretion could be computed in four of these women and was considerably greater than that found in the young adult men. In these women with testicular feminization, an average of 44 μg/24 h E2 could not be accounted for by extraglandular formation and is presumed to have arisen by testicular secretion. The mean plasma production rate of testosterone in the normal men was 5.7 mg/24 h, while that in the women with testicular feminization was 8.3 mg/24 h. However, the range of plasma production rates of testosterone in the women with testicular feminization was large (1.3−17.0 mg/24 h). (J. Clin Endocrinol Metab49: 905, 1979)