Abstract |
Production rates of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) were determined in healthy men (n = 8), in healthy women during the follicular phase of their menstrual cycle (n = 7), and in young men with male pattern baldness (n = 8) using the stable isotope dilution technique and mass spectrometry. [2,3,4-(13)C]DHT was infused for 10 h at doses of 15 microg/h (men) and 2 microg/h (women), and blood samples were obtained at 20-min intervals during the last 4 h of the observation period. Production rates estimated between April and June were 2.9 +/- 1.1 microg/h (women) and 17.8 +/- 6.2 microg/h (men). In men production rates of DHT were similar (16.2 +/- 7.7 microg/h) when the investigation was repeated between October and December. Mean production rates of DHT in young men with male pattern baldness (60 +/- 50 microg/h) were higher than those in healthy men (P < 0.005). Although this group included two individuals with normal production rates of DHT, the production rate of DHT was markedly elevated (range, 32.0-161.0 microg/h) in the remaining patients. Stable isotope-labeled infusions of DHT are suitable for clinical use in a routine setting to obtain analytically correct estimates of DHT production in vivo. In the majority of men with male pattern baldness endogenous production of DHT is markedly increased, providing a rationale for therapeutic 5 alpha-reductase inhibition in this disorder.
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Authors | H Vierhapper, P Nowotny, H Maier, W Waldhäusl |
Journal | The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism
(J Clin Endocrinol Metab)
Vol. 86
Issue 12
Pg. 5762-4
(Dec 2001)
ISSN: 0021-972X [Print] United States |
PMID | 11739436
(Publication Type: Journal Article)
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Chemical References |
- Carbon Isotopes
- Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin
- Dihydrotestosterone
- Testosterone
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Topics |
- Adult
- Alopecia
(metabolism)
- Carbon Isotopes
- Dihydrotestosterone
(blood)
- Female
- Humans
- Indicator Dilution Techniques
- Male
- Mass Spectrometry
- Reference Values
- Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin
(analysis)
- Testosterone
(blood)
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