Breast carcinoma tissue is capable of forming estrogens from circulating androgen precursors. In this study, aromatase was examined in homogenates of breast adipose and breast carcinoma tissue, in normal and abnormal parenchymal breast tissue, and in breast carcinoma cells in culture. Homogenates of carcinoma tissue showed a wide range of activity in the conversion of adrostenedione to estrone....

The effects of rosiglitazone or pioglitazone (thiazolidinediones, TZDs) on estrogen production and aromatase activity in human ovarian cells were examined. Human granulosa cells were incubated in the tissue culture medium supplemented with androstenedione or testosterone, with or without insulin, TZDs, or type 1 17β-hydroxysteroid-dehydrogenase (17β-HSD) inhibitor. Estrogen concentrations in th...

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and androstenedione are weak androgens, which need conversion to more potent testosterone in order to enhance anabolic action. Consequences of oral dosing at 1 mg/kg on the urinary and plasma androgen profile of mare and gelding have been evaluated with an analytical method involving conjugate fractionation and selective hydrolysis, group separation, and quantitati...

OBJECTIVE To study the endogenous sex hormone levels in natural postmenopausal women and their association with the presence of internal carotid artery (ICA) atherosclerosis. DESIGN Case-control study METHODS We compared 56 patients with severe ICA atherosclerosis referred for carotid artery endarterectomy (CEA) with 56 age-matched control subjects free of severe atherosclerotic disease. Th...

The objective of the present study is to investigate whether acupuncture could significantly enhance the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) in treating polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) rats by testosterone propionate. Forty female Sprague–Dawley rats were equally divided into normal control group (Group A), model group (Group B), CHM combined with acupuncture group (Group C) and CHM gr...

To assess the effect of urinary bisphenol A (BPA) on repeated measurements of androgenic hormones and metabolic indices, we used multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) adjusted for potential confounders at baseline. During July to August 2011, 80 preadolescent girls enrolled in the Ewha Birth & Growth Cohort study participated in a follow-up study and then forty-eight of them (60.0%) ca...

The purpose of this experiment was to clarify the effects of dietary protein levels on the gonadal development and sex hormones in male rats kept under constant darkness as a model of disturbed daily rhythm. Four-week-old male rats (Fischer 344 strain) were kept under constant darkness or normal lighting (12-h light/dark cycle). Two kinds of experimental diet were prepared, one with low dietary...

Female hormones are thought to be of importance in the aetiology of migraine, which is more common in women than in men. Little attention has been paid to androgens. This study investigates the associations between migraine and serum levels of androgens in postmenopausal women not taking oestrogens. A case-control study was carried out among women participating in a mammography screening progra...

Exogenous substances altering the function of the endocrine system and exhibiting adverse health effects on the organism are defined as endocrine disruptors. Nonylphenol is one of the most abundant alkylphenol ethoxylate derivatives, being detected in food products. Diverse studies have classified nonylphenol as hazardous to the health, especially to male reproduction. This in vitro study aimed...

Eicosanoids play an important role in the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis; less clear is their role in testicular steroidogenesis. To evaluate the involvement of cyclooxygenase metabolites, such as prostaglandins, in the regulation of human testicular steroidogenesis, we examined the effects of a prostaglandin-blocker, aspirin, on plasma testosterone, pregnenolone, progesterone, 1...