In the present study, the case of a female patient with pseudo-hermaphrodism caused by an
androgen-producing adrenocortical
tumor is presented, and the possible mechanism is investigated. The expression of the
luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotrophin (
LH/hCG) receptor in
tumor tissues and normal adrenal tissues was analyzed using immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, the activities of 3β-hydroxysteroid
dehydrogenase 2 (HSD2),
cytochrome P450 17α-hydroxylase (
CYP17) and 17β-hydroxysteroid
dehydrogenase 3 (HSD3)
enzymes were measured using
enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay, and the expression levels of 3β-HSD2, 17β-HSD3,
CYP17 and
LH/hCG receptor mRNA were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Immunohistochemical staining for the
LH/hCG receptor was negative in the
tumor tissue and positive in the normal adrenal tissue. The activities of 3β-HSD2 and
CYP17 in the
tumor tissue were higher than those in the normal tissue (P<0.01), whereas the activity of 17β-HSD3 was lower (P<0.01). The
mRNA levels of 3β-HSD2 and
CYP17 were higher (P<0.01) and the levels of 17β-HSD3 and
LH/hCG receptor were lower (P<0.01) in the
tumor tissue compared with those of the normal tissue. In conclusion, in the present study, a rare case of
virilization by an
androgen-producing adrenocortical
tumor is present. The results indicate that it may be associated with increased activities of 3β-HSD2 and
CYP17 but not with the expression of the
LH/hCG receptor.