Intranuclear androgen and cytosolic receptor concentrations in the axillary skin of osmidrosis

Abstract

5 alpha-Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and testosterone were measured by radioimmunoassay in the crude nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions of the axillary skin of both male and female patients with osmidrosis and the levels compared with those of nongenital skin. The intranuclear levels of DHT were 1.44 +/- 0.22 and 1.77 +/- 0.38 pg/micrograms DNA in men and women, respectively. Those of testosterone were about 10% of DHT levels. In the skin of nontarget regions nuclear DHT was much scarcer or undetectable. Cytosolic androgen receptors in isolated apocrine glands were also measured using 3H-R1881 as a ligand. Typical androgen receptors were present in all of eight patients (KD = 1.32 +/- 0.24 X 10(-9)M, Bmax = 10.3 +/- 0.51 fmol/mg protein). Neither the intranuclear androgen concentrations nor the cytosolic androgen receptor levels were significantly different between the two sexes. These data indicate clearly that the apocrine gland of patients with osmidrosis is a typical androgen target organ, irrespective of sex, and suggest that nuclear DHT in the axillary skin of women is derived from not only testosterone but also other precursors, especially in consideration of the very low serum concentrations of testosterone in females.