Formation of 5α-reduced androgens in the testes and urogenital tract of the grey short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica

Abstract

Testicular 5-reduced androgens, largely 5-androstane-3,17-diol (androstanediol), are responsible for virilisation of pouch young in one marsupial (the tammar wallaby), but are not formed until later in development in another marsupial (the brushtail possum) and in rodents. Because the mechanism of virilisation of the urogenital tract in the grey short-tailed opossum Monodelphis domestica has never been defined, androgen formation and metabolism were investigated in this species. Testis fragments from grey short-tailed opossums of a wide range of ages were incubated with [3H]- progesterone and the metabolites were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The only 19-carbon ..