Aromatase (estrogen synthetase) gene expression in human leukocytes

Extragonadal aromatization plays an important role in many physiological and pathological conditions. It has been found that incubation of the peripheral blood mononuclears in the RPMI-1640 medium with 10% fetal calf serum during 48 hrs is able to induce the aromatase gene expression. The latter did not occur in 11 samples of mononuclears of the intra-tissue leukocyte infiltration which finding needs further investigation. The data obtained suggest that the possibility of the aromatase gene induction in leukocytes is associated with the cellular fraction capable of the substrate adhesion.