title: In vitro effects of androgens upon the spontaneous rat uterine contractility.
abstract: The effectiveness of ring A reduced (5 alpha and 5 beta) testosterone (T) derivatives upon the rat uterus spontaneous contractility was tested in vitro. Compounds with the 3 alpha-hydroxy-5 alpha reduced configuration, such as androsterone and androstanediol, and one 5 beta reduced (5 beta-dihydrotestosterone) elicited a remarkable inhibitory effect upon the myometrial activity. Although steroids with 5 beta reduction were less potent than 3 alpha-hydroxy-5 alpha reduced compounds for depressing the myometrial activity, they were somewhat more potent than T, DHEA, androstenedione and the remaining 5 alpha reduced compounds tested. Therefore, T could act as a "prehormone", accounting for the maintenance of the physiological myometrial activity through its 5-reduced derivatives.
mesh_terms: D000728:Androgens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015113:Androstane-3,17-diol / Q000494:pharmacology; D000738:Androsterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D013196:Dihydrotestosterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D051381:Rats; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013739:Testosterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D014590:Uterine Contraction / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens; D013196:Dihydrotestosterone; D015113:Androstane-3,17-diol; D013739:Testosterone; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D000738:Androsterone