Whole peripheral venous blood from normal men and women, and from females with idiopathic hirsutism was incubated in vitro with labelled testosterone, androstenedione and dehydro epi androsterone. Epi testosterone was formed consistently from added testosterone, in some cases from androstenedione but not from dehydro epi androsterone. The rate of formation of epi testosterone from testosterone by blood of normal men and women is similar, whereas the rate of formation in blood from female idiopathic hirsutes was several fold greater. In a similar manner, normal human adrenal tissue also formed epi testosterone from added testosterone but not from androstenedione nor dehydro epi androsterone. These results suggest that the origin of urinary epi testosterone can be the resultant of both peripheral production and endocrine gland secretion.
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Blaquier et al. (1967) studied this question.