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TRILOSTANE AND THE NORMAL HYPOTHALAMIC‐PITUITARY‐TESTICULAR AXIS
Author(s) -
SEMPLE C. G.,
WEIR S. W.,
THOMSON J. A.,
BEASTALL G. H.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
clinical endocrinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1365-2265
pISSN - 0300-0664
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2265.1982.tb02639.x
Subject(s) - endocrinology , medicine , testosterone (patch) , dehydrogenase , enzyme , biology , biochemistry
SUMMARY Trilostane, a competitive inhibitor of the 3β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzyme system, has adrenal blocking activity and has been used to treat Cushing's syndrome and other diseases. To investigate its effect on the normal human hypothalamic‐pituitary‐testicular axis, trilostane (initially 240 mg/day) was given to ten healthy adult males, the dose increasing at weekly intervals by 240 mg/day up to 960 mg/day. When chromatography was used to remove trilostane and metabolites from the assay system, serum testosterone was found to fall on trilostane therapy ( P <0.01) and this was accompanied by a rise in LH ( P <0.01). The responses of FSH and LH to LHRH were unaffected by treatment. It is concluded that trilostane inhibits human testicular 3β‐hydroxy‐steroid dehydrogenase and male patients on trilostane should be monitored for sexual dysfunction and impairment of testicular steroidogenesis.