Influence of sex hormone binding globulin and serum albumin on the conversion of androstenedione to testosterone by human erythrocytes.

The influence of human serum albumin and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) on the enzymic conversion of androstenedione to testosterone in human erythrocytes was investigated in vitro. Total plasma and albumin delayed the conversion rate of androstenedione, while SHBG increased it markedly. The effect of SHBG was largely abolished by heating to 60 degrees C for 1 h and by saturating its binding sites by DHT. The effect of both proteins was found to be related to their concentration. It appears that the binding sites of albumin provide a mechanism for retarding androstenedione uptake by the erythrocytes and that the high binding affinity of SHBG for testosterone facilitates the diffusion of this steroid out of the cell and thus, displaces the chemical equilibrium within the cell.