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Science 13 February 1976:
Vol. 191. no. 4227, pp. 563 - 564
DOI: 10.1126/science.1251188
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Articles

Science, Vol 191, Issue 4227, 563-564
Copyright © 1976 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Prolonged ethanol consumption increases testosterone metabolism in the liver

E Rubin, CS Lieber, K Altman, GG Gordon, and AL Southren

Male alcoholics often suffer from features of hypogonadism related to abnormal metabolism of sex steroids. Since the activity of testosterone reductases is rate limiting for testosterone metabolism in the liver, the effect of prolonged ethanol consumption by rats and human volunteers on the activities of these microsomal and cytosolic enzymes was studied. In rats, long-term ethanol ingestion doubled microsomal 5alpha-testosterone reductase activity, a major pathway for testosterone metabolism, while in human volunteers the activity was increased two- to fivefold. These changes may play a role in the altered androgenic activity of the chronic alcoholic.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Downregulation of nuclear sex steroid receptor activity correlates with severity of alcoholic liver injury.
P. K. Eagon, M. S. Elm, S. D. Tadic, and A. A. Nanji (2001)
Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 281, G342-G349
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Morbidity in Alcoholics: Evidence for Accelerated Development of Physical Disease in Women.
M. J. Ashley, J. S. Olin, W. H. le Riche, A. Kornaczewski, W. Schmidt, and J. G. Rankin (1977)
Arch Intern Med 137, 883-887
   Abstract »    PDF »


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