Testosterone and dihydrotestosterone

Posted by admin on April 11th, 2010 No Comments

Question: How does inhibiting the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone prevent prostate growth?

Answer: The metabolite dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is the active hormone inside prostate cells, and it influences the protein synthesis within the cells. This means that the prostate must have a certain level of DHT within its cells to stimulate and maintain protein synthesis. If you lower the level of DHT inside the prostate cells, you stop or maybe even reverse the growth, since the presence of DHT is a prerequisite for the continuous growth of the gland.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: Etiology The exact mechanisms that cause benign prostatic hyperplasia are unknown. Extensive research indicates that hormonal changes and increasing age are clear risk factors for benign prostatic hyperplasia development. Cell culture studies have determined that the androgen dihydrotestosterone has an important role in prostatic growth. ...
Sources of androgen Testosterone is the major circulating androgen, with 90% produced by the testes. More than half of testosterone is bound to sex-binding globulin and 40% is bound to albumin. Only 3% of testosterone remains unbound, and this is the functionally active form of the hormone. ...
Growth Factors The possible role of a nonandrogenic factor in the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia has been suggested by the observation that as the testosterone levels decrease in most aging men, the prostate continues to grow in size. Additionally, the exogenous addition of androgens increase ...
What causes benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)? Question: What causes benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)? Answer: That is only partly understood. One known factor is aging and the other is presence of the male sex hormone testosterone. The presence of functioning testes are a prerequisite for prostate enlargement. This has been known for ...
Hormonal Mechanisms Role of Androgens The importance of the testis in benign prostatic hyperplasia has been well known since the 1890s when it was found that castration produced dramatic relief of obstructive benign prostatic hyperplasia in approximately 80% of patients. Scott later noted that benign prostatic hyperplasia ...

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Health and Prostate