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Event: 1613

Key Event Title

A descriptive phrase which defines a discrete biological change that can be measured. More help

Decrease, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) level

Short name
The KE short name should be a reasonable abbreviation of the KE title and is used in labelling this object throughout the AOP-Wiki. More help
Decrease, DHT level
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Biological Context

Structured terms, selected from a drop-down menu, are used to identify the level of biological organization for each KE. More help
Level of Biological Organization
Tissue

Organ term

The location/biological environment in which the event takes place.The biological context describes the location/biological environment in which the event takes place.  For molecular/cellular events this would include the cellular context (if known), organ context, and species/life stage/sex for which the event is relevant. For tissue/organ events cellular context is not applicable.  For individual/population events, the organ context is not applicable.  Further information on Event Components and Biological Context may be viewed on the attached pdf. More help

Key Event Components

The KE, as defined by a set structured ontology terms consisting of a biological process, object, and action with each term originating from one of 14 biological ontologies (Ives, et al., 2017; https://aopwiki.org/info_pages/2/info_linked_pages/7#List). Biological process describes dynamics of the underlying biological system (e.g., receptor signalling).Biological process describes dynamics of the underlying biological system (e.g., receptor signaling).  The biological object is the subject of the perturbation (e.g., a specific biological receptor that is activated or inhibited). Action represents the direction of perturbation of this system (generally increased or decreased; e.g., ‘decreased’ in the case of a receptor that is inhibited to indicate a decrease in the signaling by that receptor).  Note that when editing Event Components, clicking an existing Event Component from the Suggestions menu will autopopulate these fields, along with their source ID and description.  To clear any fields before submitting the event component, use the 'Clear process,' 'Clear object,' or 'Clear action' buttons.  If a desired term does not exist, a new term request may be made via Term Requests.  Event components may not be edited; to edit an event component, remove the existing event component and create a new one using the terms that you wish to add.  Further information on Event Components and Biological Context may be viewed on the attached pdf. More help

Key Event Overview

AOPs Including This Key Event

All of the AOPs that are linked to this KE will automatically be listed in this subsection. This table can be particularly useful for derivation of AOP networks including the KE.Clicking on the name of the AOP will bring you to the individual page for that AOP. More help
AOP Name Role of event in AOP Point of Contact Author Status OECD Status
Cyp17A1 inhibition leads to undescended testes in mammals KeyEvent Bérénice COLLET (send email) Open for citation & comment
5α-reductase,female fish KeyEvent Young Jun Kim (send email) Open for citation & comment Under Development
5α-reductase inhibition leading to short AGD KeyEvent Terje Svingen (send email) Under development: Not open for comment. Do not cite Under Development
Decreased testosterone synthesis leading to short AGD KeyEvent Terje Svingen (send email) Under development: Not open for comment. Do not cite Under Development

Taxonomic Applicability

Latin or common names of a species or broader taxonomic grouping (e.g., class, order, family) that help to define the biological applicability domain of the KE.In many cases, individual species identified in these structured fields will be those for which the strongest evidence used in constructing the AOP was available in relation to this KE. More help
Term Scientific Term Evidence Link
Vertebrates Vertebrates High NCBI

Life Stages

An indication of the the relevant life stage(s) for this KE. More help
Life stage Evidence
During development and at adulthood High

Sex Applicability

An indication of the the relevant sex for this KE. More help
Term Evidence
Mixed High

Key Event Description

A description of the biological state being observed or measured, the biological compartment in which it is measured, and its general role in the biology should be provided. More help

Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is an endogenous steroid hormone and a potent androgen. The level of DHT in tissue or blood is dependent on several factors, such as the synthesis, uptake/release, metabolism, and elimination from the system, which again can be dependent on biological compartment and developmental stage.

DHT is primarily synthesized from testosterone (T) via the irreversible enzymatic reaction facilitated by 5α-Reductases (5α-REDs) (Swerdloff et al., 2017). Different isoforms of this enzyme are differentially expressed in specific tissues (e.g. prostate, skin, liver, and hair follicles) at different developmental stages, and depending on disease status (Azzouni et al., 2012; Uhlén et al., 2015), which ultimately affects the local production of DHT.

An alternative (“backdoor”) pathway , exists for DHT formation that is independent of T and androstenedione as precursors. This pathway relies on the conversion of progesterone (P) or 17-OH-P to androsterone and then androstanediol through several enzymatic reactions and finally, the conversion of androstanediol into DHT probably by HSD17B6 (Miller & Auchus, 2019; Naamneh Elzenaty et al., 2022). The “backdoor” synthesis pathway is a result of an interplay between placenta, adrenal gland, and liver during fetal life (Miller & Auchus, 2019).

The conversion of T to DHT by 5α-RED in peripheral tissue is mainly responsible for the circulating levels of DHT, though some tissues express enzymes needed for further metabolism of DHT consequently leading to little release and contribution to circulating levels (Swerdloff et al.).

The initial conversion of DHT into inactive steroids is primarily through 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3α-HSD) and 3β-HSD in liver, intestine, skin, and androgen-sensitive tissues. The subsequent conjugation is mainly mediated by uridine 5´-diphospho (UDP)-glucuronyltransferase 2 (UGT2) leading to biliary and urinary elimination from the system. Conjugation also occurs locally to control levels of highly potent androgens (Swerdloff et al., 2017).

Disruption of any of the aforementioned processes may lead to decreased DHT levels, either systemically or at tissue level.

How It Is Measured or Detected

A description of the type(s) of measurements that can be employed to evaluate the KE and the relative level of scientific confidence in those measurements.These can range from citation of specific validated test guidelines, citation of specific methods published in the peer reviewed literature, or outlines of a general protocol or approach (e.g., a protein may be measured by ELISA). Do not provide detailed protocols. More help

Several methods exist for DHT identification and quantification, such as conventional immunoassay methods (ELISA or RIA) and advanced analytical methods as liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The methods can have differences in detection and quantification limits, which should be considered depending on the DHT levels in the sample of interest. Further, the origin of the sample (e.g. cell culture, tissue, or blood) will have implications for the sample preparation.

Conventional immunoassays have limitations in that they can overestimate the levels of DHT compared to levels determined by gas chromatography mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (Hsing et al., 2007; Shiraishi et al., 2008). This overestimation may be explained by lack of specificity of the DHT antibody used in the RIA and cross-reactivity with T in samples (Swerdloff et al., 2017).

Domain of Applicability

A description of the scientific basis for the indicated domains of applicability and the WoE calls (if provided).  More help

This KE is applicable to both sexes, across developmental stages and adulthood, in many different tissues and across vertebrate taxa.

In both humans and rodents, DHT is important for the in utero differentiation and growth of the prostate and male external genitalia (Azzouni et al., 2012; Gerald & Raj, 2022). Besides its critical role in development, DHT also induces growth of facial and body hair during puberty in humans (Azzouni et al., 2012).

In mammals, the role of DHT in females is less established (Swerdloff et al., 2017), however studies suggest that androgens are important in e.g. bone metabolism and growth, as well as female reproduction from follicle development to parturition (Hammes & Levin, 2019).

References

List of the literature that was cited for this KE description. More help

Azzouni, F., Godoy, A., Li, Y., & Mohler, J. (2012). The 5 alpha-reductase isozyme family: A review of basic biology and their role in human diseases. In Advances in Urology. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/530121

Gerald, T., & Raj, G. (2022). Testosterone and the Androgen Receptor. In Urologic Clinics of North America (Vol. 49, Issue 4, pp. 603–614). W.B. Saunders. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ucl.2022.07.004

Hammes, S. R., & Levin, E. R. (2019). Impact of estrogens in males and androgens in females. In Journal of Clinical Investigation (Vol. 129, Issue 5, pp. 1818–1826). American Society for Clinical Investigation. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI125755

Hsing, A. W., Stanczyk, F. Z., Bélanger, A., Schroeder, P., Chang, L., Falk, R. T., & Fears, T. R. (2007). Reproducibility of serum sex steroid assays in men by RIA and mass spectrometry. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, 16(5), 1004–1008. https://doi.org/10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-06-0792

Miller, W. L., & Auchus, R. J. (2019). The “backdoor pathway” of androgen synthesis in human male sexual development. PLoS Biology, 17(4). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000198

Naamneh Elzenaty, R., du Toit, T., & Flück, C. E. (2022). Basics of androgen synthesis and action. In Best Practice and Research: Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (Vol. 36, Issue 4). Bailliere Tindall Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beem.2022.101665

Shiraishi, S., Lee, P. W. N., Leung, A., Goh, V. H. H., Swerdloff, R. S., & Wang, C. (2008). Simultaneous measurement of serum testosterone and dihydrotestosterone by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Clinical Chemistry, 54(11), 1855–1863. https://doi.org/10.1373/clinchem.2008.103846

Swerdloff, R. S., Dudley, R. E., Page, S. T., Wang, C., & Salameh, W. A. (2017). Dihydrotestosterone: Biochemistry, physiology, and clinical implications of elevated blood levels. In Endocrine Reviews (Vol. 38, Issue 3, pp. 220–254). Endocrine Society. https://doi.org/10.1210/er.2016-1067

Uhlén, M., Fagerberg, L., Hallström, B. M., Lindskog, C., Oksvold, P., Mardinoglu, A., Sivertsson, Å., Kampf, C., Sjöstedt, E., Asplund, A., Olsson, I. M., Edlund, K., Lundberg, E., Navani, S., Szigyarto, C. A. K., Odeberg, J., Djureinovic, D., Takanen, J. O., Hober, S., … Pontén, F. (2015). Tissue-based map of the human proteome. Science, 347(6220). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1260419