Endocrine Abstracts

Abstract: Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is the most powerful naturally occurring androgen with three to six times higher biopotency than testosterone. Time onset of benign prostatic hyperplasia and alopecia in middle life could be the result of an imbalance between androgens. The decline of testosterone during lifespan is well known, controversial data can be found concerning the age dependence of DHT levels. We analysed the levels of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone and SHBG from 3076 men and we observed changes of their relationship and the ratio of total and free fraction of T and DHT, depending on age in men. We found that the DHT/T and fDHT/fT ratios during the life of adult males are constant, and that there is no evidence of a reversal in ratios of these hormones after puberty. Given that the ratio DHT/T remains constant during the age, the role in the development of androgenetic alopecia and benign prostatic hyperplasia is rather unlikely. The question remains, however, local status in androgen-dependent tissues, which would change the expression of enzyme, it could be caused just by local change in this ratio. This study was supported by the project MZCR for conceptual development of research organization 00023761 Institute of Endocrinology and grant 17-28692A.