Oestrogens are synthesized by the cytochrome P450 enzyme aromatase (CYP19). Oestrogen production ceases after menopause, however, peripheral organs still release enough of aromatase to promote oestrogen synthesis that is vital for cell development. Aromatase is responsible for catalyzing the last and rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of oestrogen. This study was a cross-sectional study aimed at evaluating the concentration of the enzyme aromatase in premenopausal and postmenopausal women in a hospital in Port Harcourt. The study population comprised of apparently healthy premenopausal and postmenopausal women who were within the age range of 20-79 years. A total of seventy (70) participants were voluntarily recruited, who were divided into 2 groups: group A comprising of thirty (30) premenopausal and group B comprising of forty (40) postmenopausal women. An Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method was used to analyze the concentration of aromatase in the samples. The statistical analysis was done using GraphPad Prism version 9.4.1, using an Unpaired t-test, Analysis of Variance, and Tukey’s Multiple Comparison Test to obtain 95% confidence intervals. The results obtained for the respective groups were expressed as mean ± SD and statistical significance was determined by a p-value < 0.05. The result obtained for the postmenopausal group was 4.45 ± 3.36 ng/mL, while the result obtained the premenopausal group was 0.27 ± 0.18 ng/mL. The results clearly showed a significant increase in the level of aromatase in postmenopausal women when compared to premenopausal women. This finding implies that postmenopausal women have a much higher concentration of aromatase than the premenopausal population. Thus, there is an age-related increase in aromatase expression in relation to menopausal status. As a result, much consideration should go into evaluation of aromatase concentration in premenopausal and postmenopausal women as a routine test in some health conditions, particularly cancer.

Adline Ben-Chioma is an Associate Professor & Lecturer with the Rivers State University in the Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, Department of Clinical Chemistry with years of experience, specializing in cancer research, public health, nutrition and endocrinology. She is also a Biosafety expert, having undergone various training in Biosafety and Biosecurity with a Biosafety certification from the International Federation of Biosafety Association (IFBA), Canada. Dr. Adline Ben-Chioma is involved in the training and strengthening of laboratories and medical laboratory users on Biorisk management. She holds a Ph. D in Chemical Pathology from Rivers State University, Nigeria, a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of South Wales, UK, another Master’s degree in Project Management from European Global School France, and a PGDE in Psychology from Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt. She has over 60 publications that have been cited over 100 times, with a h-index of 6.