New observation on androgen action: androgen receptor stabilization and antisteroid effects of LHRH agonists.

Abstract

The androgenic activity of testosterone and its 5c(-metabolites is classically defined as the growth promoting effect on the male reproductive tract. By contrast, the stimulatory effect of these hormones on nitrogen balance and body weight is referred to as their anabolic action (1). This latter effect results from androgen stimulation of protein synthesis in tissues, such as liver, kidney, bone and muscle, which compromise a major portion of body mass. Even though the anabolic and androgenic actions of testosterone were once thought to be distinct effects of a hormone, it is now clear that these are organ-specific responses. In most tissues, the effects of androgens are mediated via androgen receptors (2–4) and are inhibited by antiandrogens (5). In addition, the post-receptor actions of androgens are mediated via common intracellular events regardless of the tissue (6).