Serum and urinary prostate-specific antigen and urinary human glandular kallikrein concentrations are significantly increased after testosterone administration in female-to-male transsexuals
Cv. Obiezu et al., Serum and urinary prostate-specific antigen and urinary human glandular kallikrein concentrations are significantly increased after testosterone administration in female-to-male transsexuals, CLIN CHEM, 46(6), 2000, pp. 859-862
Background: The genes that encode prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and human
glandular kallikrein (hK2) are up-regulated by androgens and progestins in
cultured cells, but no published studies have described the effect of andr
ogen administration in women on serum and urinary PSA or hK2.
Methods: We measured serum and urinary PSA and hK2 before, and 4 and 12 mon
ths post testosterone treatment by immunofluorometric methods in 32 female-
to-male transsexuals.
Results: Mean serum PSA increased from 1.1 ng/L to 11.1 ng/L and then to 22
ng/L by 4 and 12 months post treatment, respectively; the corresponding me
an values in urine were 17, 1420, and 18130 ng/L, respectively. Serum hK2,
another kallikrein closely related to PSA, remained undetectable at the thr
ee time points. However, urinary hK2 concentration rose from below the dete
ction limit (<6 ng/L) before treatment to 18 and 179 ng/L, by the 4th and t
he 12th month of treatment, respectively. All changes were statistically si
gnificant (P <0.001) at 4 months.
Conclusions: Testosterone administration increases serum and urinary PSA an
d urinary hK2 in women. These measurements may be useful as indicators of a
ndrogenic stimulation in women. (C) 2000 American Association for Clinical
Chemistry.