Comparison of sex-steroid synthesis between neonatal and adult rat hippocampus

Sex-steroid synthesis in the hippocampus had been thought to be much more active at the neonatal stage than at the adult stage. However, the detailed comparison between these two stages had not been demonstrated yet. Here we performed the comparison about the mRNA level of steroidogenic enzymes and the rate of steroid metabolism between these two stages of the hippocampus. The relative expression level of P450(17α), 17β- or 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, or P450arom was approximately 1.3–1.5-fold higher at the neonatal than at the adult stage. The rate of sex-steroid metabolism (from dehydroepiandrosterone to estradiol) was 2–7-fold (depending on different steps) more rapid at the neonatal than at the adult stage. Taken together, neonatal steroidogenesis is moderately more active than adult steroidogenesis.