Spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) exhibit an array of behavioral and morphological characteristics that set them apart from other mammals: females are heavier and more aggressive than males, and females have external genitalia that closely resemble those of the male. Because androgenic hormones might mediate the expression of these traits, androgens are of great interest in this species. Past wo...

The relationships among testicular vein and jugular vein concentrations of androgens and estrogens were studied in anesthetized stallions. Blood was sampled from a vein on the surface of the testis and simultaneously from an artery on the surface of the testis and from the jugular vein. Concentrations of total 173hydroxy-androgens and total estrogens were measured for all samples and testostero...

Among all extant mammals, only the female spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) mates and gives birth through the tip of a peniform clitoris. Clitoral morphology is modulated by foetal exposure to endogenous, maternal androgens. First births through this organ are prolonged and remarkably difficult, often causing death in neonates. Additionally, mating poses a mechanical challenge for males, as they ...

Anti-androgens used in prostate cancer therapy inhibit AR (androgen receptor) activity via largely unknown mechanisms. Although initially successful in most cases, they eventually fail and the disease progresses. We need to elucidate how anti-androgens work to understand why they fail, and prolong their effects or design further therapies. Using a cellular model, we found different anti-androge...

This work investigated the behaviors of seven glucocorticoids, eight androgens, and nine progestogens compared to six estrogens in a municipal sewage treatment plant (STP) in Beijing, China. Among all of the hormones considered, androgens were the dominant steroids detected in all samples (total concentrations up to 10 216±912 ng/L for influents, 171±10 ng/L for effluents, and 647±52 ng/g for d...

Although a large proportion of primary human breast cancers express the androgen receptor, and treatment with androgens exerts beneficial effects in women with breast cancer, the role and especially the mechanism of action of androgens in breast cancer development and growth are not well understood. The potential effect of androgens on bcl-2 protooncogene expression was investigated in a human ...

We examined androgen modulation of proliferation of clonally derived AXC/SSh rat prostate cancer cells. C-family cells were maintained on medium without addition of androgens. D-family cells were maintained on medium containing 10(-7) M 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone and T-family cells were maintained on medium containing 10(-7) M testosterone. Proliferation of all AXC/SSh prostate cancer cell lin...

Androgens, which are mediated via the androgen receptor (AR), play important roles in normal follicular development and female fertility. However, just like a double-edged sword, besides the positive effects of androgen on follicular development, abnormal androgen levels, especially as in hyperandrogenism, seriously suppress normal follicular development. A crucial balance exists between the im...

Androgens have beneficial effects on skeletal development and maintenance in women and men. The detection and functional characterization of androgen receptors in bone cells has implicated bone tissue as a potential target tissue for androgens. Gonadal and adrenal androgens directly regulate various aspects of osteoblastic lineage cells, including proliferation, differentiation, mineralization,...

Oxidation of mitochondrial fatty acids (FA) results in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which have been postulated to play a key role in the initiation and progression of prostate cancer (PC). We previously reported that androgens increase FA uptake into PC cells. We thus examined if androgens that are known to induce ROS generation regulate FA oxidation in PC cells. The effects ...