Abstract
Previous reports have postulated that 3 androstanediol glucuronide(3α AG)constitutes a marker of the 5 reductase activity in peripheral tissues. We studied the serum levels of androgens and their metabolites in 20 girls with premature pubarche (PP). EC X: 6.6±2.3 years, and in a control group of 12 girls, 5 of them prepubertal and the other 7 pubertal. 17 hidroxiprogesterone (17OHP), Androstenedione (Δ 4A), dehidroepiandrosterone sulfate (DS), testosterone (T)and 3 AG were determined by RIA. All patients showed pubic hair Tanner grade II-III. Besides pubic hair, 13 girls had one or more associated androgenic signs like acne: or face. trunk or limbs hair. Serum T and 17OHP levels were in prepubertal range in girls with PP except in one that showed basal 17OHP of 2 ng/ml and a response to ACTH stimulation of 20, which lead to a diagnosis of non classical 21OHlase deficiency.
The elevated 3α AG levels found in PP agree with the pubertal levels of its precursors Δ4A and DS. The high 3α AG/4A ratio found in PP associated with other androgenic signs suggests and enhanced peripheral 5 reductase activity in those patients.
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Gryngarten, M., Escobar, M., Campo, S. et al. 11 3 α ANDROSTANEDIOL GLUCURONIDE AS A HARKER OF ANDROGENIC ACTIVITY IN GIRLS WITH PREMATURE PUBARCHE. Pediatr Res 36, 674 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199411000-00035
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199411000-00035