Androgens roles

The sex steroids comprise a class of hormones, including estrogens, progestins, and androgens, which play important roles in the development and maintenance of... 

Androgens act via the AR and play an important role in the development and differentiation of the male sexual organ. Furthermore, they are involved in several diseases, the most important being partial and complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS formerly known as the testicular feminization syndrome), spinal and bulbar muscle atrophy (SBMA Kennedy s disease), and the neoplastic transformation of the prostate. The two natural occurring androgens are testosterone (T) and the... 

P. acnes is an anaerobic diphteroid that populates the androgen-stimulated sebaceous follicles and is a normal constituent of the cutaneous microflora even if acne is not infectious, the commensal P. acnes acts in acne pathogenesis. Three pieces of evidence support the role of P. acnes in acne 1) higher counts of P. acnes in individuals with acne than in those without acne 2) correlation between the reduction of P. acnes counts and the clinical improvement of the disease and 3) correlation between development of acne and presence of antibiotic-resistant P. acnes organisms. P. acnes products mediate the formation of comedones and contribute to their rupture, leading to extrusion of... 

Culig Z. Role of the androgen receptor axis in prostate cancer. Urology 2003 62(5 suppl 1) 21—26. 

Estrogens are also neuroprotective against ischemic damage [13], and aromatization of androgens to estrogens plays a role even in females, where knockout of the aromatase gene increases the vulnerability of female mice to stroke damage by a process that is prevented by estradiol administration [33]. 

The role of combined hormonal therapy, also referred to as maximal androgen deprivation or total androgen blockade, continues to be evaluated. 

Vasopressin plays a major role in the control of blood pressure, which is probably essential for vasocongestion or erection. cOxytocin gene expression occurs in ovary and testes, but the exact functions remain unknown. dProgestins, such as cyproterone acetate, are used clinically as anti-androgens (Kravitz, et ah, 1995). 

In support of a role for androgens in sexual behavior is the finding that sexual interest or motivation is low in prepubertal boys and in men with various forms of hypogonadism (Burris, et al., 1992). Androgen treatments are typically associated with increased interest in sexual activities, as measured by self-report, as well as increases in nocturnal erections. However, increases in sexual behavior as a result of androgen treatments are less reliable, probably in part because men with a history of sexual inactivity may lack social skills or opportunities for sexual behavior. Social and historical variables, possibly also experienced as changes in other hormones, are critical determinants of masculine sexuality. 

On the other side, it has been demonstrated that nucleolin phosphorylation and rRNA transcription go hand in hand. Nucleolin phosphorylation could be triggered by a variety of stimuli like androgens and growth factors (Bonnet et al, 1996 Bouche et al, 1987 Issinger et al, 1988 Suzuki et al, 1985, 1991 Tawfic et al, 1994) and the phosphorylation is invariably accompanied by increased rRNA transcription and cell proliferation. All these observations suggest that indeed nucleolin could have regulatory role in RNA polymerase I transcription. However, further experiments are clearly required to clarify the function of nucleolin in rRNA transcription. 

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