Estimating the Contribution of the Prostate to Blood Dihydrotestosterone
Studysummary This study indicates that the normal human prostate is not a major contributor to circulating blood DHT concentrations in androgen-deficient patients receiving testosterone replacement therapy.
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The study investigated the contribution of the prostate to blood dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels by comparing DHT concentrations in androgen-deficient males (ADM) and female-to-male (F2M) transsexuals, both with and without a prostate, while receiving testosterone (T) replacement therapy. The study involved 39 Dutch patients and 29 Australian patients, with the Dutch group receiving weekly testosterone ester injections and the Australian group receiving 800 mg subdermal T implantation. The results showed no significant difference in plasma DHT concentrations between the groups, even after adjusting for variables such as time since last injection, age, and physique in the Dutch cohort, or age, height, weight, body surface area, and body mass index in the Australian cohort. The findings from both modes of T administration suggest that the normal human prostate does not significantly contribute to circulating blood DHT concentrations.
