On the [4-14C]progesterone metabolism of keloid and hypertrophic scar. A preliminary report.

Tissue specimens from keloids (K) and hypertrophic scars (H), as well as from the healthy skin in their vicinity (KS resp. HS) were incubated in a medium containing [4-14C]progesterone. The metabolites were isolated and verified with thin layer chromatography. All investigated tissue types produced as metabolites of progesterone 5 alpha-pregnane-3,20-dione, 5 alpha-pregnane-3 alpha, 20 alpha-diol, as well as probably 3 alpha/beta-hydroxy-5-pregnan-20 one. The diffusion of progesterone from the medium into the tissue was most effective in K, in sharp contrast to H. The ability of the tissue to take up progesterone from the medium was nearly double in HS as compared with KS. HS seems to metabolize progesterone nearly with the same effectivity as K, and those both twice as much as KS. There were also marked differences in the division of metabolites between the tissue and the medium.