5α-Reductase Inhibitors: Progress and Therapeutic Potential

This chapter reviewed the progress in developing and using 5α-reductase inhibitors to treat disorders mediated by dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a key androgen. It highlighted the significant advancements in understanding androgen biology through these inhibitors. The chapter also discussed the potential of new 5α-reductase inhibitors in development to further elucidate the role of DHT and 5α-reductase in androgen biology and their therapeutic potential for androgenic disorders. The importance of DHT as a potent androgen, distinct from testosterone, was underscored by studies from 1974 on a rare inborn disorder caused by 5α-reductase deficiency, which affects male sexual differentiation.