A domestic research team has made a discovery that could explain why men grow more feminine over time.

Ewha Woman's University professor Nam Won-woo on Friday said his team has discovered for the first time in the world oxidizing intermediates that convert male hormones into female ones.

The team also confirmed the existence and mechanism of the intermediates that momentarily appear in chemical reactions of oxygenase enzymes called cytochrome P450.

The discovery is also expected to shed light on why certain men grow more feminine than others.

Nam said the team's research took life science study a step further, and that it holds great potential for industrial application in developing new drugs or artificial enzymes for pollution-free production.

As one of 500,000 enzymes in the human body, oxygenase enzymes remove reactive oxygen species, which causes aging, and helps turn male hormones into female ones.

The research results were published Friday on the homepage of the leading science journal Science.