Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) is the high-affinity binding protein for androgens and estrogens. According to the free hormone hypothesis, SHBG modulates the bioactivity of sex steroids by limiting their diffusion into target tissues. Still, the in vivo physiological role of circulating SHBG remains unclear, especially since mice and rats lack circulating SHBG post-natally. To test the free hormone hypothesis in vivo, we examined total and free sex steroid concentrations and bioactivity on target organs in mice expressing a human SHBG transgene. SHBG increased total androgen and estrogen concentrations via hypothalamic-pituitary feedback regulation and prolonged ligand half-life. Despite markedly raised total sex steroid concentrations, free testosterone was unaffected while sex steroid bioactivity on male and female reproductive organs was attenuated. This occurred via a ligand-dependent, genotype-independent mechanism according to in vitro seminal vesicle organ cultures. These results provide compelling support for the determination of free or bioavailable sex steroid concentrations in medicine, and clarify important comparative differences between translational mouse models and human endocrinology.

Aging in men is accompanied by a broad range of symptoms, including sexual dysfunction, cognitive and musculoskeletal decline, obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension, organ degeneration/failure, and increasing neoplasia, some of which are associated with declining levels of Leydig cell-produced testosterone. High natural biological variance, together with multiple factors that can modulate circulating testosterone concentration, may influence its interpretation and clinical implications. Insulin-like peptide 3 is a biomarker of Leydig cell function that might provide complementary information on testicular health and its downstream outcomes.

Androgen deficiency is associated with obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes mellitus in men, but the mechanisms behind these associations remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the combined effects of androgen deficiency and high-fat diet (HFD) on body composition and glucose homeostasis in C57BL/6J male mice. Two models of androgen deficiency were used: orchidectomy (ORX) and androgen receptor knockout mice. Both models displayed higher adiposity and serum leptin levels upon HFD, whereas no differences were seen on a regular diet. Fat accumulation in HFD ORX animals was accompanied by increased sedentary behavior and occurred in spite of reduced food intake. HFD ORX mice showed white adipocyte hypertrophy, correlated with decreased mitochondrial content but not function as well as increased lipogenesis and decreased lipolysis suggested by the up-regulation of fatty acid synthase and the down-regulation of hormone-sensitive lipase. Both ORX and androgen receptor knockout exacerbated HFD-induced glucose intolerance by impairing insulin action in liver and skeletal muscle, as evidenced by the increased triglyceride and decreased glycogen content in these tissues. In addition, serum IL-1β levels were elevated, and pancreatic insulin secretion was impaired after ORX. Testosterone but not dihydrotestosterone supplementation restored the castration effects on body composition and glucose homeostasis. We conclude that sex steroid deficiency in combination with HFD exacerbates adiposity, insulin resistance, and β-cell failure in 2 preclinical male mouse models. Our findings stress the importance of a healthy diet in a clinical context of androgen deficiency and may have implications for the prevention of metabolic alterations in hypogonadal men.

It has been proposed that endogenous sex hormone levels may present a modifiable risk factor for cognitive decline. However, the evidence for effects of sex steroids on cognitive ageing is conflicting. We therefore investigated associations between endogenous hormone levels, androgen receptor CAG repeat length, and cognitive domains including visuoconstructional abilities, visual memory, and processing speed in a large-scale longitudinal study of middle-aged and older men.

Age-related chronic low-grade inflammation (inflammaging) is one of the proposed mechanisms behind sarcopenia. However, findings regarding inflammatory markers in sarcopenic older adults are conflicting. This study aimed to determine the association between inflammatory markers, prevalent as well as incident sarcopenia, sarcopenia-defining parameters, quality of life (QoL), and physical activity in middle-aged and older men.

Testosterone (T) reduces male fat mass, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive, limiting its clinical relevance in hypogonadism-associated obesity. Here, we subjected chemically castrated high-fat diet-induced adult obese male mice to supplementation with T or the nonaromatizable androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT) for 20 weeks. Both hormones increased lean mass, thereby indirectly increasing oxygen consumption and energy expenditure. In addition, T but not DHT decreased fat mass and increased ambulatory activity, indicating a role for aromatization into estrogens. Investigation of the pattern of aromatase expression in various murine tissues revealed the absence of Cyp19a1 expression in adipose tissue while high levels were observed in brain and gonads. In obese hypogonadal male mice with extrahypothalamic neuronal estrogen receptor alpha deletion (N-ERαKO), T still increased lean mass but was unable to decrease fat mass. The stimulatory effect of T on ambulatory activity was also abolished in N-ERαKO males. In conclusion, our work demonstrates that the fat-burning action of T is dependent on aromatization into estrogens and is at least partially mediated by the stimulation of physical activity via extrahypothalamic ERα signaling. In contrast, the increase in lean mass upon T supplementation is mediated through the androgen receptor and indirectly leads to an increase in energy expenditure, which might also contribute to the fat-burning effects of T.

Prostate cancer (PCa) patients treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) have an increased fracture risk. Exploring biomarkers for early bone loss detection is of great interest.

This study aims to clarify the role(s) of endogenous sex hormones to influence health outcomes in men, specifically to define the associations of plasma testosterone with incidence of cardiovascular events, cancer, dementia and mortality risk, and to identify factors predicting testosterone concentrations. Data will be accrued from at least three Australian, two European and four North American population-based cohorts involving approximately 20 000 men.

Low total 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) has been associated with mortality. Whether vitamin D in its free form or 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D), provide any additional information is unclear.