The Human Kidney Is a Progesterone-Metabolizing and Androgen-Producing Organ

by | Jul 3, 2021 | Blog category 03, Resources | 0 comments

There are many complex issues with hormones and taking bioidentical hormonal therapy. One is the fact that progesterone is a diuretic which would mean that we see an increase of urination when first starting progesterone therapy, however, often times women actually report retaining water when on progesterone. We know that low doses of progesterone can antagonize estrogen and some experts think this is actually the reason for the water weight gain. But this study below indicated the actions of progesterone in the kidneys can play a role in fluid balancing and my hypothesis is, what if our kidneys are in need of support and we start progesterone and we cannot balance fluids and excrete the way we should be. Without knowing for certain I would er on the side of caution and say that it wouldn’t hurt anyone to support kidney function at all times, particularly if you are gaining when you take progesterone.
I personally use a high quality nutraceutical called Renaven, you can sign up for a free account to get this product HERE from Premier Research Labs, I take 3 caps 2 x per day, and if I am really in need I sometimes double that.
This study is complex but worth the read, you can see the full study HERE
M. Quinkler, C. Bumke-Vogt, B. Meyer, V. Bähr, W. Oelkers, S. Diederich
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Volume 88, Issue 6, 1 June 2003, Pages 2803–2809, https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2002-021970
Published:
01 June 2003

Article history

Progesterone (P) is a potent antagonist of the human mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) in vitro. We have previously demonstrated effective downstream metabolism of P in the kidney. This mechanism potentially protects the MR from P action. Here, we have investigated the expression and functional activity of steroidogenic enzymes in human kidney. RT-PCR analysis demonstrated the expression of 5α-reductase type 1, 5β-reductase, aldo-keto-reductase (AKR) 1C1, AKR1C2, AKR1C3, 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) type 2, and 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase (P450c17). The presence of 3β-HSD type 2 and P450c17 indicated that conversion of pregnenolone to dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and to androstenedione may take place effectively in kidney. To investigate this further, we incubated kidney subcellular fractions with radiolabeled pregnenolone. This resulted in efficient formation of DHEA from pregnenolone, indicating both 17α-hydroxylase and 17,20-lyase activities exerted by P450c17. Radiolabeled DHEA was converted via androstenedione, androstenediol, and testosterone, indicating both 3β-HSD type 2 activity and 17β-HSD activity. In addition, the conversion of testosterone to 5α-dihydrotestosterone was detectable, indicating 5α-reductase activity. In conclusion, we verified the expression and functional activity of several enzymes involved in downstream metabolism of P and androgen synthesis in human kidney. These findings may be critical to the understanding of water balance during the menstrual cycle and pregnancy and of sex differences in hypertension.