Central 5-Alpha Reduction of Testosterone Is Required for Testosterone's Inhibition of the Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Response to Restraint Stress in Adult Male Rats

July 2013 in “ Brain Research ”

Robert J. Handa, Andrea E. Kudwa, Nina C. Donner, Robert F. McGivern, Roger Brown

TLDR Testosterone needs to be converted to DHT to reduce stress response in male rats.

This study investigated the role of 5-alpha reduction of testosterone (T) in modulating the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to restraint stress in adult male rats. The research demonstrated that the conversion of T to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) via the 5-alpha reductase enzyme was essential for T's inhibitory effects on the HPA axis. Inhibition of this enzyme using finasteride, both peripherally and centrally, increased the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone (CORT) response to stress, indicating that 5-alpha reduction is a necessary step for T's modulation of stress responses. The study used adult male Sprague-Dawley rats to explore these biochemical pathways.

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