Testosterone administration to elderly men increases skeletal muscle strength and protein synthesis
Abstract
Aging men develop a significant loss of muscle strength that occurs in conjunction with a decline in serum testosterone concentrations. We investigated the effects of testosterone administration to six healthy men [67 +/- 2 (SE) yr] on skeletal muscle protein synthesis, strength, and the intramuscular insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) system. Elderly men with serum testosterone concentrations of 480 ng/dl or less were given testosterone injections for 4 wk to produce serum concentrations equal to those of younger men. During testosterone administration muscle strength (isokinetic dynamometer) increased in both right and left hamstring and quadricep muscles as did the fractional synthetic rate of muscle protein (stable-isotope infusion). Ribonuclease protection assays done on total RNA from muscle showed that testosterone administration increased mRNA concentrations of IGF-I and decreased mRNA concentrations of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-4. We conclude that increasing testosterone concentrations in elderly men increases skeletal muscle protein synthesis and strength. This increase may be mediated by stimulation of the intramuscular IGF-I system.
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Data on the effect of testosterone supplementation on muscle strength and function are conflicting.
“There are conflicting data on the effect of testosterone supplementation on muscle strength and function50,51,357,414.”
From Sarcopenic obesity in older adults: aetiology, epidemiology and treatment strategies (2018) · cites this paper as [50]
Testosterone and IGF-1 positively regulate muscle protein anabolism by promoting muscle protein synthesis and repressing genes that activate muscle protein degradation.
“Testosterone and IGF‐1 positively regulate muscle protein anabolism by promoting muscle protein synthesis (Sheffield‐Moore et al., 1999; Urban et al., 1995), while repressing the genes that activate muscle protein degradation (Zhao et al., 2008).”
From The effect of acute sleep deprivation on skeletal muscle protein synthesis and the hormonal environment (2021) · cites this paper as Urban et al., 1995
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- Authors
- Urban, R. J., Bodenburg, Y. H., Gilkison, C., Foxworth, J., Coggan, A. R., Wolfe, R. R., & Ferrando, A.
- Affiliations
- The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (US)
- Venue
- American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism
- Publisher
- American Physiological Society
- Published
- 1995-11-01
- Volume
- 269
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- E820-E826
- ISSN
- 0193-1849 (ISSN-L)
- 1522-1555
- OpenAlex
- W2185952775
- Cited by
- 608
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 23
- FWCI
- 11.06
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (DK-38010, R01DK038010)
- National Center for Research Resources (RR 00073, M01RR000073)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Hormonal and reproductive studies
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Muscle metabolism and nutrition
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Muscle Physiology and Disorders
- Keywords
- testosterone, older men, muscle strength, skeletal muscle protein synthesis, insulin-like growth factor I, IGF binding protein-4, aging, sarcopenia, testosterone replacement therapy, IGF-I mRNA, quadriceps, hamstrings
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Hormones, Humans, Insulin-Like Growth Factor I, Male, Muscle Proteins, RNA, Messenger, Testosterone, Muscle, Skeletal, Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 4
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