Aromatase and 5α-reductase (5αR) catalyze the synthesis of testosterone (T) metabolites: estradiol and 5α-dihydrotestosterone, respectively. These enzymes are important in controlling sexual behaviors in male and female vertebrates. To investigate factors contributing to their regulation in reptiles, male and female green anole lizards were gonadectomized during the breeding and non-breeding se...

Topical administration of Rosmarinus officinalis leaf extract (RO-ext, 2 mg/day/mouse) improved hair regrowth in C57BL/6NCrSlc mice that experienced hair regrowth interruption induced by testosterone treatment. In addition, RO-ext promoted hair growth in C3H/He mice that had their dorsal areas shaved. To investigate the antiandrogenic activity mechanism of RO-ext, we focused on inhibition of te...

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Grateloupia elliptica, a seaweed native to Jeju Island, Korea, on the prevention of hair loss. When immortalized rat vibrissa dermal papilla cells were treated with extract of G. elliptica, the proliferation of dermal papilla cells significantly increased. In addition, the G. elliptica extract significantly inhibited the activity of 5α-reductas...

In the fight against androgen-sensitive prostate cancer, the enzyme 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 3 (17β-HSD3) is an attractive therapeutic target considering its key role in the formation of androgenic steroids. In this study, we attempted to assess the in vivo efficacy of the compound RM-532-105, an androsterone derivative developed as an inhibitor of 17β-HSD3, in the prostate cancer ...

Physiologically relevant steroid 5α-reductase (SRD5A) activity that is essential for dihydrotestosterone (DHT) biosynthesis in human castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) has not been fully characterized yet. In this study to ascertain the potential SRD5A activity, we cultured two human CRPC cell lines, C4-2 and C4-2AT6, with the steroid precursor: ¹³C-[2,3,4]-androstenedione (13C-Adione)...

The 5α-reductase (5αR) enzyme converts testosterone to 5α-dihydrotestosterone. This local metabolism within the brain is important for the full expression of male sexual behavior in many species, including green anole lizards. Two isozymes of 5αR exist and little is known about their specific distributions. We conducted in situ hybridization for both isozymes in intact male and female green ano...

The primary male androgen testosterone (T) is often used as an endocrinological marker to investigate androgen-behaviour interactions in males. In chimpanzees and bonobos, studies investigating the relationship between T levels and dominance rank or aggressive behaviour have revealed contradictory results. The immunoassays used in these studies were originally developed for the measurement of s...

Alopecia is an important issue that can occur in people of all ages. Recent studies show that bee venom can be used to treat certain diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, neuralgia, and multiple sclerosis. In this study, we investigated the preventive effect of bee venom on alopecia, which was measured by applying bee venom (0.001, 0.005, 0.01%) or minoxidil (2%) as a positive control to the...

Estrogenic and androgenic steroids can be synthesised in the brain and rapidly modulate synaptic transmission and plasticity through direct interaction with membrane receptors for estrogens (ERs) and androgens (ARs). We used whole cell patch clamp recordings in brainstem slices of male rats to explore the influence of ER and AR activation and local synthesis of 17β-estradiol (E2) and 5α-dihydro...