Tracking testosterone activity
Three protein could be used as markers to help diagnose low testosterone activity in men.
Although it is best known for its role in developing male sex organs and maintaining sexual function, the hormone testosterone is important for many parts of the human body. A deficiency can cause an increased risk of serious conditions such as diabetes, cancer and osteoporosis. Testosterone deficiency can develop due to disease or age-related changes, and men affected by this can be given supplements of this hormone to restore normal levels.
The most common way to test for testosterone deficiency is by measuring the concentration of the hormone in the blood. However, this does not accurately reflect the activity of the hormone in the body. This may lead to men who need more testosterone not receiving enough, and to others being unnecessarily treated. Several factors may lead to discrepancy between testosterone concentration in blood and its physiological activity. One of the most common is obesity. Additionally, certain genetic factors, which cannot be controlled for yet, regulate sensitivity to this hormone: some people do well at low levels, while others need high concentrations to be healthy. Therefore, to improve the diagnosis of testosterone deficiency it is necessary to identify biological markers whose levels act as a proxy for testosterone activity.
Giwercman, Sahlin et al. studied the levels of a large number of proteins in the blood of 30 young men before and after blocking testosterone production. The analysis found three proteins whose concentrations changed significantly after testosterone deprivation. Giwercman, Sahlin et al. then validated these markers for testosterone deficiency by checking the levels of the three proteins in a separate group of 75 men with fertility problems. The results also showed that the three protein markers were better at predicting diabetes and metabolic syndrome than testosterone levels alone.
These newly discovered markers could be used to create a test for measuring testosterone activity. This could help to identify deficiencies and finetune the amount of supplementary hormone given to men as treatment. However, further research is needed to understand the clinical value of such a test in men, as well as women and children.
Originally published at https://elifesciences.org/digests/74638.
