Am. Nakhla et al., 5-ALPHA-ANDROSTAN-3-ALPHA,17-BETA-DIOL IS A HORMONE - STIMULATION OF CAMP ACCUMULATION IN HUMAN AND DOG PROSTATE, The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 80(7), 1995, pp. 2259-2262
5 alpha-Androstan-3 alpha,17 beta-diol (3 alpha-diol) is a well known
metabolite of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and the concentration of its g
lucuronide in serum is' looked upon as a marker of DHT activity in ski
n and prostate. The data in this communication show that 3 alpha-diol
is a potent agonist of the human and canine prostatic SHBG-[SHBG recep
tor]. It causes a robust rise in intracellular cAMP within minutes; th
e 1/2 max. response occurs at a concentration equal to its concentrati
on in male plasma. Estradiol is the only other agonist in this system.
All other steroids that bind to SHBG are antagonists.