Endocrine Abstracts

Testosterone is the hormone that turns males into men and a lack of testosterone, whether of primary or secondary origin, causes hypogonadism characterized by lack of pubertal development or loss of maleness. It was generally assumed that in a man with a normal androgen receptor (AR) androgenicity is regulated by testosterone serum concentrations, slightly modified by SHBG. Only recently it became evident that variations in the AR gene influence testosterone action. Modulation...

The androgen receptor (AR) is the key transcription factor mediating androgen action during embryogenesis and postnatal life. Both adrenal and gonadal androgens act through the AR, which therefore has a major role both in female and male sexual maturation. Mutations in the X-chromosomally localized AR-gene have been associated with a variety of human disorders, namely in-born errors of male sexual differentiation as well as malignancy of endocrine organs such as prostate cance...

Abstract unavailable...

Maintenance of spermatogenesis depends on adequate gonadotrophin and intratesticular testosterone concentrations. Hormonal contraception for men interrupts this physiological axis by various means of gonadotrophin suppression; this induces reversible azoospermia or severe oligozoospermia in virtually all men. Clinical trials have confirmed that high contraceptive efficacy, similar to female hormonal contraceptives, can be reliably attained with few side effects. However, the s...