Testosterone
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,13
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)- 17-hydroxy-10,13-dimethyl-1,2,6,7,8,9,11,12,14,15,16,17-dodecahydrocyclopenta[
a
]phenanthren-3-one
Identifiers
Chemical data
19
28
2
Physical data
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailabilitylow (due to extensivefirst passmetabolism)MetabolismLiver, TestisandProstate
Half life2-4 hoursExcretionUrine(90%), feces (6%)
Therapeutic considerations
Pregnancy cat.X (USA), Teratogenic effects
Legal statusSchedule III (USA)
Schedule IV (Canada)RoutesIntramuscular injection,transdermal (cream, gel, orpatch), sub-'Q' pelletY( what is this?)(verify)
Testosterone
is asteroid hormonefrom theandrogengroup. In mammals,testosterone is
primarily secreted in thetestesof malesand the ovaries of females, although small amounts are
also secreted by theadrenal glands. It is the principal malesexhormoneand ananabolic steroid.
Testosterone isevolutionarilyconserved through mostvertebrates, although fishmake a slightly
different form called11-ketotestosterone.
In men, testosterone plays a key role in the development of male reproductive tissues such as thetestisand prostateas well as promoting secondary sexual characteristics such as increased
muscleand bonemass andhair growth.
In addition, testosterone is essential for health andwell-being
as well as preventing osteoporosis.
On average, an adulthumanmale body produces about ten times more testosterone than an adulthuman female body, but females are, from a behavioral perspective (rather than from ananatomical or biological perspective), more sensitive to the hormone.
However, the overallranges for male and female are very wide, such that the ranges actually overlap at the low endand high end respectively.
Physiological effects
In general,androgenspromote protein synthesisand growth of those tissues with androgen
receptors. Testosterone effects can be classified as virilizingandanabolic, although the
distinction is somewhat artificial, as many of the effects can be considered both. Testosterone isanabolic, meaning it builds up bone and muscle mass.
•
Anabolic effects
include growth of muscle mass and strength, increased bone densityand
strength, and stimulation of linear growth and bone maturation.
•
Androgenic effects
includematurationof the sex organs, particularly the penisand the
formation of thescrotumin the fetus, and after birth (usually at puberty) a deepening of
the voice, growth of the beardandaxillary hair . Many of these fall into the category of
malesecondary sex characteristics.Testosterone effects can also be classified by the age of usual occurrence. For postnatal effects in
both males and females, these are mostly dependent on the levels and duration of circulating freetestosterone.
Most of the
prenatal androgen effects
occur between 7 and 12 weeks of the gestation.
•
Genital virilization (midline fusion, phallic urethra,scrotal thinning and rugation, phallic
enlargement); although the role of testosterone is far smaller than that of Dihydrotestosterone.
•
Development of prostateandseminal vesicles
•
Early infancy androgen effects
are the least understood. In the first weeks of life for male infants,testosterone levels rise. The levels remain in a pubertal range for a few months, but usually reachthe barely detectable levels of childhood by 4–6 months of age.
The function of this rise inhumans is unknown. It has been speculated that "brainmasculinization" is occurring since nosignificant changes have been identified in other parts of the body.
Surprisingly, themale brain is masculinized by testosterone being aromatized into estrogen, which crosses the blood-brain barrier and enters the male brain, whereas female fetuses have alpha-fetoprotein
which binds up the estrogen so that female brains are not affected.
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