TLDR Androgens like testosterone increase colon muscle contractions by affecting calcium pathways.
The study demonstrated that androgens, specifically testosterone and 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), acutely enhanced the contractile activity of mouse colonic longitudinal smooth muscle through a nongenomic mechanism. This effect was mediated by calcium sensitization, involving the phosphorylation of the 20-kDa myosin light chain (LC20) and CPI-17, an inhibitor of myosin light chain phosphatase. The process required the activation of Rho-associated Rho kinase (ROK) and protein kinase C (PKC), with ROK acting upstream of PKC in the signaling cascade. The findings indicated that androgens could modulate smooth muscle contractility by promoting calcium sensitization, marking the colonic smooth muscle as a physiological target for androgen hormones.
204 citations
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