Testosterone Metabolite Nonessential For Androgen Effects

In a study published in JAMA, US researchers, led by Shalender Bhasin from Boston University School of Medicine, found that the conversion of testosterone to its metabolite 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is not essential for mediating androgenic effects in adult men. The study was a parallel-group, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving 139 patients with suppressed endogenous testosterone production. These patients were given graded doses of testosterone with or without a steroid 5α-reductase inhibitor, which is known to suppress the conversion of testosterone to DHT. The study concluded that reducing DHT levels by using steroid 5α-reductase inhibitors did not lead to a decrease in muscle mass or an increase in sexual dysfunction, suggesting that these drugs do not induce muscle loss and are safe for treating conditions like benign prostatic hyperplasia and androgenic alopecia. However, previous studies have indicated that men with low testosterone might experience adverse effects due to the loss of compensatory effects of DHT.