Sex- and age-related changes in epitestosterone in relation to pregnenolone sulfate and testosterone in normal subjects
Abstract
Epitestosterone has been demonstrated to act at various levels as a weak antiandrogen. So far, its serum levels have been followed up only in males. Epitestosterone and its major circulating precursor pregnenolone sulfate and T were measured in serum from 211 healthy women and 386 men to find out whether serum concentrations of epitestosterone are sufficient to exert its antiandrogenic actions. In women, epitestosterone exhibited a maximum around 20 yr of age, followed by a continuous decline up to menopause and by a further increase in the postmenopause. In men, maximum epitestosterone levels were detected at around 35 yr of age, followed by a continuous decrease. Pregnenolone sulfate levels in women reached their maximum at about age 32 yr and then declined continuously, and in males the maximum was reached about 5 yr earlier and then remained nearly constant. Epitestosterone correlated with pregnenolone sulfate only in males. In both sexes a sharp decrease of the epitestosterone/T ratio around puberty occurred. In conclusion, concentrations of epitestosterone and pregnenolone sulfate are age dependent and, at least in prepubertal boys and girls, epitestosterone reaches or even exceeds the concentrations of T, thus supporting its role as an endogenous antiandrogen. The dissimilarities in the course of epitestosterone levels through the lifespan of men and women and its relation to pregnenolone sulfate concentrations raise the question of the contribution of the adrenals and gonads to the production of both steroids and even to the uniformity of the mechanism of epitestosterone formation.
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EpiT circulates with low nM concentrations and EpiT/T ratios are between 0.1 for women and up to 1 in men as measured in serum of healthy subjects by immunoassay.
“EpiT circulates with low nM concentrations and EpiT/T ratios are between 0.1 for women and up to 1 in men as measured in serum of healthy subjects by immunoassay (Havlikova et al., 2002).”
From Intracrine androgen biosynthesis, metabolism and action revisited (2018) · cites this paper as Havlikova et al., 2002
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- Authors
- Havlíková, H., Hill, M., Hampl, R., & Stárka, L.
- Affiliations
- Institute of Endocrinology, CZ 116 94 Prague, Czech Republic
- Institute of Endocrinology (CZ)
- Corresponding author
- Hill, Martin
- ORCID
- Hill, Martin
- Venue
- The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
- Publisher
- The Endocrine Society
- Published
- 2002-05-01
- Volume
- 87
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 2225-2231
- ISSN
- 0021-972X (ISSN-L)
- 1945-7197
- OpenAlex
- W2027308470
- Cited by
- 45
- References
- 25
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 4 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 0.19
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Hormonal and reproductive studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Adrenal Hormones and Disorders
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Sexual Differentiation and Disorders
- Keywords
- epitestosterone, pregnenolone sulfate, testosterone, age-related changes, sex differences, menopause, puberty, steroid precursors, adrenal steroidogenesis, serum steroid levels
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aging, Child, Epitestosterone, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Osmolar Concentration, Pregnenolone, Reference Values, Sex Characteristics, Testosterone
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