| Summary: | Lipid synthesis from acetate-1-14C by rat skin was inhibited 44-56% by 2.5 × 10-4m dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA) in vitro with or without addition of glucose in the incubation medium. This inhibition affected all the lipid fractions examined (hydrocarbons, sterols, sterol esters, tri-, di- and monoglycerides, fatty acids, and polar lipids) and could be reversed by NADPH. DHA also inhibited lipid synthesis from glucose-U-14C and the formation of 14CO2 from glucose-1-14C, indicating interference with pentose cycle activity. Experiments with the 105,000 g supernatant fluid of rat skin homogenates demonstrated considerable activities of malic enzyme (ME) (12.6 nmoles of NADPH generated per min per mg of protein), of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), and of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGD) (17.5 nmoles of NADPH generated per min per mg of protein). G6PD was inhibited 98% by 2.5 × 10-4m dehydroepiandrosterone, while 6PGD and ME were not affected. It can be estimated from these data that the pentose cycle may contribute 41-57% of the NADPH needed for lipid synthesis in rat skin; the remainder of the necessary NADPH is presumably supplied by malic enzyme.
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