Pre-Receptor Regulation of the Androgen Receptor
November 2007
in “
Molecular and cellular endocrinology
”
TLDR Two enzymes regulate androgen receptor activity, affecting treatments for androgen insufficiency and benign prostatic hyperplasia.
The study "Pre-receptor regulation of the androgen receptor" examined how enzymes AKR1C2 and RL-HSD regulated androgen receptor (AR) activity in the human prostate by converting 5α-DHT to inactive 3α-diol and vice versa. This regulation was crucial in conditions like benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer. The researchers analyzed enzyme expression in 14 normal, 14 cancerous, and 6 BPH epithelial cell samples, as well as 15 normal, 16 cancerous, and 21 BPH stromal cell samples, finding significant differences in enzyme and AR expression. The study suggested RL-HSD as a potential therapeutic target for BPH and highlighted the need to explore these mechanisms in other androgen target tissues.
