Supraphysiological Dose of Testosterone Impairs the Expression and Distribution of Sex Steroid Receptors During Endometrial Receptivity Development in Female Sprague-Dawley Rats
September 2024
in “
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
”
TLDR High doses of testosterone disrupt hormone levels and receptor expression in the uterus, affecting fertility.
This study on female Sprague–Dawley rats (n=24) found that a supraphysiological dose of testosterone significantly reduced oestrogen and progesterone levels, increased androgen receptor mRNA expression, and decreased progesterone and oestrogen receptor-α expression. Immunohistochemistry confirmed these findings, showing that high testosterone levels disrupt the implantation window by altering sex steroid receptor distribution and expression, which impairs endometrial receptivity. The addition of finasteride and anastrozole did not significantly mitigate these effects, indicating the primary role of high testosterone levels in these disruptions.