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Event: 1617

Key Event Title

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

Inhibition, 5α-reductase

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
Inhibition, 5α-reductase
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Biological Context

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Level of Biological Organization
Molecular

Cell 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
Cell term
eukaryotic cell

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
5α-reductase,female fish MolecularInitiatingEvent Young Jun Kim (send email) Open for citation & comment Under Development
5α-reductase inhibition leading to short AGD MolecularInitiatingEvent 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

This KE describes the inhibition of 5α-reductases (3-oxo-5α-steroid 4-dehydrogenases). These enzymes are widely expressed in tissues of both sexes and responsible for conversion of steroid hormones.

There are three isozymes: 5α-reductase type 1, 2, and 3. The substrates for 5α-reductases are 3-oxo (3-keto), Δ4,5 C19/C21 steroids such as testosterone, progesterone, androstenedione, epi-testosterone, cortisol, aldosterone, and deoxycorticosterone. The enzymatic reaction leads to an irreversible breakage of the double bond between carbon 4 and 5 and subsequent insertion of a hydride anion at carbon 5 and insertion of a proton at carbon 4. The reaction is aided by the cofactor NADPH. The substrate affinity and reaction velocity differ depending on the combination of substrate and enzyme isoform, for instance 5α-reductase type 2 has a higher substrate affinity for testosterone than the type 1 isoform of the enzyme, and the enzymatic reaction occurs at a higher velocity under optimal conditions. Likewise, inhibitors of 5α-reductase may exhibit differential effects depending on isoforms (Azzouni et al., 2012).

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

There is currently (as of 2023) no OECD test guideline for the measurement of 5α-reductase inhibition.

Inhibition of 5α-reductase can be assessed using transfected cell lines. This has been demonstrated in HEK-293 cells stably transfected with human 5α-reductase type 1, 2, and 3 (Yamana et al., 2010), in CHO cells stably transfected with human 5α-reductase type 1 and 2 (Thigpens et al., 1993), and COS cells transfected with human and rat 5α-reductase with unspecified isoforms (Andersson & Russell, 1990). The transfected cells are typically used as intact cells or cell homogenates. Further, 5α-reductase 1 and 2 has been successfully expressed and isolated from Escherichia coli with subsequent functionality allowing for examination of enzyme inhibition (Peng et al., 2020).

The output of the above methods could be decreased dihydrotestosterone (DHT) with increasing test chemical concentrations. Other substrates exist for the different isoforms that could be used to assess the enzymatic inhibition (Peng et al., 2020). The use of radiolabeled steroids has historic and continued use for 5α-reductase inhibition examination (Andersson & Russell, 1990; Peng et al., 2020; Thigpens et al., 1993; Yamana et al., 2010); however, alternative methods are available, such as conventional ELISA kits or advanced analytical methods such as liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

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 into adulthood, in many different tissues and across taxa.

Essentially the reaction performed by the isozymes is the same, but the enzyme is differentially expressed in the body. 5α-reductase type 1 is mainly linked to the production of neurosteroids, 5α-reductase type 2 is mainly involved in production of 5α-DHT, whereas 5α-reductase type 3 is involved in N-glycosylation (Robitaille & Langlois, 2020).

The expression profile of the three 5α-reductase isoforms depends on the developmental stage, the tissue of interest, and the disease state of the tissue. The enzymes have been identified in, for instance, non-genital and genital skin, scalp, prostate, liver, seminal vesicle, epididymis, testis, ovary, kidney, exocrine pancreas, and brain (Azzouni, 2012, Uhlen 2015).

5α-reductase is well-conserved, all primary species in Eukaryota contain all three isoforms (from plant, amoeba, yeast to vertebrates) (Azzouni, 2012) and the enzymes are expressed in both males and females (Langlois, 2010, Uhlen 2015).

References

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

Andersson, S., & Russell, D. W. (1990). Structural and biochemical properties of cloned and expressed human and rat steroid 5a-reductases. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 87, 3640–3644. https://www.pnas.org

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

Peng, H. M., Valentin-Goyco, J., Im, S. C., Han, B., Liu, J., Qiao, J., & Auchus, R. J. (2020). Expression in escherichia coli, purification, and functional reconstitution of human steroid 5α-reductases. Endocrinology (United States), 161(8), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1210/ENDOCR/BQAA117

Robitaille, J., & Langlois, V. S. (2020). Consequences of steroid-5α-reductase deficiency and inhibition in vertebrates. In General and Comparative Endocrinology (Vol. 290). Academic Press Inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2020.113400

Thigpens, A. E., Cala, K. M., & Russell, D. W. (1993). Characterization of Chinese Hamster Ovary Cell Lines Expressing Human Steroid 5a-Reductase Isozymes. The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 268(23), 17404–17412.

Yamana, K., Fernand, L., Luu-The, V., & Luu-The, V. (2010). Human type 3 5α-reductase is expressed in peripheral tissues at higher levels than types 1 and 2 and its activity is potently inhibited by finasteride and dutasteride. Hormone Molecular Biology and Clinical Investigation, 2(3), 293–299. https://doi.org/10.1515/HMBCI.2010.035