Dihydrotestosterone Health Dictionary

  1. Health Encyclopedia
  2. Dihydrotestosterone

Dihydrotestosterone: From 1 Different Sources

(DHT) n. a product formed from the action of the enzyme 5?-reductase on *testosterone. Mostly derived from the peripheral conversion of testosterone, some DHT is also secreted directly by the testes. DHT is an estimated 2.5 times more potent than testosterone but is present in much smaller amounts in the circulation.
Health Source: Oxford | Concise Colour Medical Dictionary
Author: Jonathan Law, Elizabeth Martin

Finasteride

Finasteride is a drug which inhibits the ENZYME that metabolises TESTOSTERONE into the more potent ANDROGEN, dihydrotestosterone. This action results in a reduction of prostate tissue. The drug is used to treat an enlarged PROSTATE GLAND, thus improving urinary ?ow. Its side-effects include reduced LIBIDO, and IMPOTENCE. Finasteride o?ers an alternative to PROSTATECTOMY for some men but a signi?cant minority do not improve. Women of childbearing age should not handle broken or crushed tablets.... finasteride

Secale Cereale

Linn.

Family: Poaceae.

Habitat: Ladakh, Lahul and other north-western Himalayan areas; and as host for cultivation of medicinal ergot (fungus) in Kashmir.

English: Rye Grass.

Action: Grass—used for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), chronic prostatis and prostatodynia.

Rye bread, biscuits, porridge and alcoholic products are available in European countries and the US. Rye grain contains 12.1% protein; made up of 42% gliadin (a prolamine), 42% glutelin, 8% globulin and 8% albumin. The biological value of Rye protein at 5% level of intake is 80.4% and the coefficient of true digestibility 91.0%.

The mineral contents in the grain are: calcium 61, potassium 453, magnesium 155, phosphorus 376, sulphur 146 and iron 4.8 mg/100 g; and small amounts of zinc, copper, manganese and aluminium. The carbohydrates (73.4%) include surcose, pentosans, starch and raffinose.

Medicinally applicable part of Rye Grass is the polan extract. The extract contains beta-sitosterol; relaxes urethral smooth muscle tone and increases bladder muscle contraction. Some evidence suggests that it might affect alpha-adrenergic receptors and relax the internal and external bladder sphincter muscle. The extract does not affect LH, FSH, testosterone or dihydrotestosterone. A specific Rye Grass pollen extract 126 mg three times daily has been used for BHP. (Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, 2007.)

(It is not known if Rye Grass pollen is comparable to finasteride or hytrin. However, it is comparable to Pygeum and Paraprost, a Japanese prostate remedy containing L-glutamic acid, L-alanine and aminoacetic acid.)... secale cereale

Androgen

n. one of a group of steroid hormones, including *testosterone and *dihydrotestosterone, that stimulate the development of male sex organs and male secondary sexual characteristics (e.g. beard growth, deepening of the voice, and muscle development). The principal source of these hormones is the testis (production being stimulated by *luteinizing hormone) but they are also secreted by the adrenal cortex (see dehydroepiandrosterone) and ovaries in small amounts. In women excessive production of androgens gives rise to *masculinization.

Naturally occurring and synthetic androgens are used in replacement therapy (to treat such conditions as delayed puberty in adolescent boys, *hypogonadism, and impotence due to testicular insufficiency) and as *anabolic agents. Side-effects include salt and water retention, increased bone growth, and masculinization in women. Androgens should not be used in patients with cancer of the prostate gland or in pregnant women. —androgenic adj.... androgen

Dehydroepiandrosterone

(DHEA) n. a weak androgen produced and secreted by the adrenal glands after the stage of adrenal maturation known as *adrenarche. It is produced from 17-hydroxypregnenolone and itself is largely converted to dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate and androstenedione. All three of these molecules can cause a degree of mild *androgenization but can also be converted in the circulation to the more potent androgens *testosterone and *dihydrotestosterone.... dehydroepiandrosterone

Dutasteride

n. a drug used in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (see prostate gland). It is a 5?-reductase inhibitor, which blocks the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. It has the same side-effects as *finasteride.... dutasteride

Testosterone

n. the principal male sex hormone (see androgen). Formed from androstenedione within the interstitial cells of the *testis, it is converted in target cells to *dihydrotestosterone, which mediates most of its actions. Preparations of testosterone are used for replacement therapy in males with testosterone deficiency; they can be administered orally, by intramuscular depot injection, or topically (in the form of skin patches or gels).... testosterone

Health encyclopedia icon Health Encyclopedia

Recent Searches