Anabolic Effect of Dihydrotestosterone in Testicular Feminization Syndrome
September 1971
in “
Metabolism, clinical and experimental
”
TLDR Dihydrotestosterone has a reduced effect on muscle-building in people with testicular feminization syndrome, especially after their gonads are removed.
In a study from 1971, three siblings with testicular feminization syndrome (TFS), a condition where individuals are unresponsive to the effects of testosterone, were assessed for their response to the anabolic effects of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) before and after gonadectomy. The study measured daily urinary nitrogen and phosphorus under metabolic balance conditions and compared the results with two hypogonadal male controls. Prior to gonadectomy, TFS patients showed significant reductions in urinary nitrogen and a positive nitrogen balance in response to DHT, although the response was less than that of the controls. However, after gonadectomy, two patients did not respond to DHT. The study concluded that the unresponsiveness to DHT in TFS patients post-gonadectomy could not be explained by defective conversion of testosterone to DHT, suggesting instead a deficient affinity of nuclear receptor sites for androgenic steroids. The limited response to DHT in the intact state might be due to the combined effects of endogenous and exogenous androgens or the involvement of estrogen in the anabolic response.
