The possible significance of dehydroepiandrosterone in cystic fibrosis

Gray, Christina E (1973) The possible significance of dehydroepiandrosterone in cystic fibrosis. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

The most consistent physical manifestations of cystic fibrosis in the male are abnormalities of the vasa deferentia, epididymes and seminal vesicles. These abnormalities of the male genital tract have been attributed by others to a failure in differentiation of the mesonephric duct at about the 10th to 12th foetal week. From the literatures incubation studies employing human-foetal testicular material have demonstrated dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA) to be an important pre-hormone of testosterone at this time. Thus DHA must be regarded as important in the maintenance of an androgenic environment necessary for the stabilisation of the mesonephric duct and its derivatives in the male foetus. It is accented that DHA and testosterone advance bone maturation which in children with cystic fibrosis is frequently retarded. Also, androgens are required for the maintenance of normal spermatogenesis. This process is known to be arrested at spermatocyte and spermatid stages in children with cystic fibrosis. DHA, then, is an important precursor of androgens (the 5 pathway being important during foetal development) and on its own account has widespread metabolic activity. Since tissues from a foetus known to have cystic fibrosis were not obtained, a study of dehydroeuiandrosterone production prenatally was not possible, However, a study of DHA in urine and blood samples collected from 48 children (from 1 to 20 years old) with cystic fibrosis was undertaken. R-51 Following addition of DHAS for recovery purposes, aliquots of urine from 24-hour collections were submitted to 6 hours hot hydrolysis at neutral pH (Fotherby, 1959), This hydrolytic method is specific for A'-3B-hydroxysteroid sulphates. This conjugated with glucuronic acid in urine was hydrolysed by a 24 hour incubation with p-glucuronidase (1,000 F.u. per ml urine) at 37

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Additional Information: Adviser: T Simpson
• Keywords: Endocrinology, Developmental biology
• Date of Award: 1973
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:1973-73220
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 14 Jun 2019 08:56
• Last Modified: 14 Jun 2019 08:56
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/73220