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Androgens in Health and Disease.pdf - E Library

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Chapter 1/Testosterone Synthesis, Transport, <strong>and</strong> Metabolism 15<br />

Fig. 6. Pathways for testosterone metabolism. Products have reduced aff<strong>in</strong>ityf or the <strong>and</strong>rogen<br />

receptor, <strong>and</strong> because they are hydrophilic, they are excreted <strong>in</strong> the ur<strong>in</strong>e <strong>and</strong> bile. *Formation of<br />

17-ketosteroids <strong>in</strong>volves oxidation of C17 hydroxyl <strong>and</strong> reduction of 3-keto groups. **Excreted<br />

species are a mixture of polyhydroxyls, <strong>and</strong> glucuronides <strong>and</strong> sulfates.<br />

tively. The type-1 enzyme has a relatively broad pH optimum from 6.0 to 8.5, whereas<br />

the type-2 enzyme has a narrow pH optimum with maximum activity at pH 5.0. These<br />

enzymes also reduce other substrates with the 4-5, 3-keto structure <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g progesterone,<br />

17-hydroxyprogesterone, <strong>and</strong>rostenedione, <strong>and</strong> cortisol. Expression of the<br />

isozymes is hormonally regulated. mRNA expression <strong>in</strong> (rat) prostate is upregulated by<br />

its product, DHT. In human genital sk<strong>in</strong> fibroblasts, activity is <strong>in</strong>creased by <strong>and</strong>rogens,<br />

transform<strong>in</strong>g growth factor (TGF)-, <strong>and</strong> activ<strong>in</strong> (129). Isozyme expression is also<br />

species- <strong>and</strong> tissue-specific (130). The major sites of distribution <strong>in</strong> human tissues are<br />

summarized <strong>in</strong> Table 2.<br />

Dihydrotestosterone is <strong>in</strong>activated by conversion to 3- <strong>and</strong> 3-<strong>and</strong>rostanediol (adiol)<br />

by 3HSD <strong>and</strong> 3HSD, respectively. High levels of 3HSD mRNA are found <strong>in</strong> the<br />

prostate, liver, small <strong>in</strong>test<strong>in</strong>e, colon, lung, <strong>and</strong> kidney (131), suggest<strong>in</strong>g that this reversible<br />

<strong>in</strong>terconversion between a very active <strong>and</strong>rogen (DHT) <strong>and</strong> an <strong>in</strong>active metabolite<br />

(adiol) may <strong>in</strong>fluence <strong>and</strong>rogen effects on target tissues.<br />

Testosterone is converted to estradiol by aromatase P450, the product of the CYP19<br />

gene (132) localized to chromosome 15q21.1. This microsomal enzyme oxidizes the<br />

C19 angular methyl group to produce a phenolic A r<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> utilizes NAPDH–cytochrome<br />

P450 reductase to transfer the reduc<strong>in</strong>g equivalents, as described earlier for<br />

P450c17 (see Fig. 1). Aromatase is expressed <strong>in</strong> the Leydig cells of the adult testis, where<br />

it is upregulated by LH/hCG (133). This regulation accounts for the high level of estradiol<br />

relative to testosterone <strong>in</strong> the plasma of men with primary testicular failure, or with<br />

hCG-produc<strong>in</strong>g neoplasms. Sertoli cell cultures from immature primates produce estradiol<br />

under the control of FSH.

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