Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 9, 2025

Assessing Endothelial Vasodilator Function with the Endo-PAT 2000
Published on: October 15, 2010
Effect of 5β-dihydrotestosterone on vasodilator function and on cell proliferation
David Sánchez-Fernández1, Aritz Eguibar2, Cristina López1
1Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Abstract:
Aging is one of the main factors associated with cardiovascular diseases. Androgens exert beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system and testosterone (TES) replacement therapy improves cardiometabolic risk factors. However, TES is contraindicated in patients with prostate cancer due to its proliferative effects on prostatic tumor cells. Additionally, TES and its reduced metabolites 5α- and 5β-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT and 5β-DHT) exert vasodilatory effects. Since androgen levels decrease during aging and 5β-DHT lacks genomic effects, this study is focused on analyzing its effect on vasodilator function and the proliferation rate of prostatic tumor and vascular smooth muscle cells. To study the vascular function, mesenteric arteries from aged-orchidectomized Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Mesenteric segments were divided into one control (without treatment) and three groups with the androgens (10 nM, 30 min) to analyze: acetylcholine- and sodium nitroprusside-induced responses and nitric oxide and superoxide anion production. To analyze cell proliferation, the effect of androgens on cell viability was determined. The results showed that 5β-DHT improves vasodilator function in arteries from aged-orchidectomized rats and induces antioxidant action, while the proliferation rate of the androgen-dependent prostatic tumor cells remains unaltered. These results make 5β-DHT a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of cardiovascular pathologies.
More Related Videos
08:41Assessment of Vascular Tone Responsiveness using Isolated Mesenteric Arteries with a Focus on Modulation by Perivascular Adipose Tissues
Published on: June 3, 2019
09:33A Methodological Approach to Non-invasive Assessments of Vascular Function and Morphology
Published on: February 7, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Antihypertensive Drugs: Vasodilators
Nitric Oxide Signaling Pathway
Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply
Treatment for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors
Among the PDE5 inhibitors, sildenafil (Revatio) stands out as a competitive and selective inhibitor. It operates by elevating cellular levels of cGMP and augmenting signaling through the cGMP-PKG pathway, promoting vasodilation. Upon oral...
Target Cell Response to Hormones
Notably, the cellular response can be regulated by altering the number of receptors expressed in the cell. For example, prolonged exposure to elevated hormone levels results in a gradual decline or down-regulation in the number of receptors for that specific hormone on the cell surface. Conversely, in response to low hormone levels, cells may use up-regulation, producing an...
Testosterone: Functions and Regulation