Other conceivable renditions of some of the oxidative processes used in the biosynthesis of steroid hormones

The generally accepted version of steroidogenesis is not free of uncertainties: Other tenable and possibly superior renditions may be invented

“…chemically plausible, renditions of steroidogenic processes that are different from those pictured in GAV [1][2][3][4][5].…”

“…In several previous essays [1][2][3][4][5], the relevant experimental "facts" and the interpretations derived from them about steroidogenic processes occurring in vivo were examined. These analyses led to the conclusion that the experimentally derived evidence upon which the GAV is based does not lead to interpretations about in vivo processes that are unique and inerrant.…”

“…Since the GAV is replete with uncertainties, the invention of other hypothetical, but tenable versions [1][2][3][4][5], is in keeping with the continuing search for truth. This search is not a purely academic, arcane effort of interest only to biochemists.…”

Steroid biosynthesis and prostate cancer

“…The placenta does not express StAR yet still produces abundant steroids from cholesterol, possibly via MLN64 action, and pregnenolone production in model cell systems increases 7-fold above basal when StAR is co-expressed [22]. Additional enzymes and mechanisms mediate pregnenolone synthesis under defined conditions [23]; however, the absence of circulating steroids in patients with lipoid congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to severe mutations in StAR or CYP11A1 indicates that these alternative routes are insufficient to support normal human physiology.…”

Neuroactive steroids: State of the art and new perspectives

“…However, for a long time the attempts to demonstrate the presence and bioactivity of P450c17 in the nervous system were unsuccessful [1]. Therefore, a series of investigations that analyzed the oxidative processes involved in steroidogenesis suggested the possibility of DHEA biosynthesis in the brain through a biochemical P450c17-independent pathway [174,175]. The expression of mRNA encoding P450c17 was, however, finally demonstrated in the cerebellum and brain stem of young adult rats using a combination of RNase protection assays with PCR experiments [176,177].…”