Cellular Actions of Testosterone in Vascular Cells: Mechanism Independent of Aromatization to Estradiol

This study reports that testosterone requires conversion to DHT and estradiol for its various actions on external genitalia and bone, influencing lean mass, muscle size, strength, and body fat in hypogonadal males.

This study found that testosterone is converted to estrogenic steroids in vitro without aromatase involvement, suggesting that combining 5α-reductase and aromatase inhibitors might reduce estrogenic steroids more completely in vivo.

This study discusses how testosterone exerts its effects directly or through conversion to metabolites, DHT and estradiol 17β, each influencing different physiological processes, noting that DHT conversion is necessary for certain effects but not for muscle, bone, or erythropoiesis impacts.

This study in male mice found that testosterone provides strong protection against skin necrosis after ischemia, working through its estrogenic and androgenic derivatives to enhance skin survival and revascularization, with 17β-estradiol being notably more effective than dihydrotestosterone.

This study observed that in spontaneously hypertensive rats, testosterone's effects on endothelium-dependent vasodilation involved reduced nitric oxide levels, increased oxidative stress, and greater reliance on endothelium-dependent hyperpolarization, with variations in these responses noted when testosterone was combined with either anastrozole or finasteride.