TLDR Finasteride causes reproductive malformations in male rats.
The study investigated the effects of finasteride, a 5 α-reductase inhibitor, on pregnant Sprague Dawley rats to confirm its use as a positive control in reproduction studies. Administering 10 mg/kg/day of finasteride during gestation days 12 to 21 resulted in significant reproductive tract malformations in male offspring. These included delayed preputial separation, increased nipple retention (100%), cleft prepuce (83.9%), decreased anogenital distance (90.3%), and ectopic testes in 6.5% of cases. Additionally, males exposed in utero exhibited atrophy of genital structures and reduced weights of accessory sexual organs. The findings supported the use of finasteride as a positive control for studying reproductive damage.
34 citations
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January 2004 in “PubMed” DHT deficiency in rats reduces sperm content and affects testis structure over time.
1707 citations
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December 2003 in “The New England Journal of Medicine” Combination therapy of doxazosin and finasteride safely and effectively reduces benign prostatic hyperplasia progression risk.
118 citations
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May 2003 in “Toxicological Sciences” Exposure to finasteride in the womb caused lasting reproductive issues in male rats.
86 citations
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March 1993 in “Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology” Finasteride affects male rat genitalia development, causing abnormalities during specific pregnancy days.
1040 citations
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October 1992 in “The New England Journal of Medicine” Finasteride effectively treats BPH but may increase sexual dysfunction risk.
37 citations
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January 1991 in “Reproductive Toxicology” Finasteride reduces male rat fertility by causing issues with copulatory plug formation.
28 citations
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January 1991 in “Reproductive Toxicology” Finasteride temporarily lowers male rat fertility without affecting libido.
122 citations
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July 1990 in “Teratology” Finasteride exposure in pregnancy causes genital abnormalities in male rats.
53 citations
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January 1986 in “Endocrinology” Blocking a specific enzyme in male rat fetuses leads to the development of nipples and feminized genitalia.
1 citations
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August 2019 in “Environmental Toxicology” Exposure to low doses of finasteride in the womb causes changes in the prostate of both male and female gerbils.
May 2019 in “bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)” Testosterone significantly affects urination differences between male and female mice.
26 citations
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July 1995 in “Neurobiology of Aging” Finasteride affects prostate weights and pituitary activity differently with age.
