Testosterone concentrations and sirolimus in male renal transplant patients.
Sirolimus damages the testes in animals; however, human data are sparse. We conducted a case-control study to obtain further insight into this issue and compared testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and prolactin concentrations in matched renal transplant patients who did or did not receive sirolimus. We found that testosterone values were lower (11.2 +/- 6.3 nmol/L vs. 15.5 +/- 7.7 nmol/L, p < 0.05), in 28 sirolimus-treated patients, compared to 28 non-sirolimus-treated controls. Furthermore, these patients more commonly had testosterone concentrations that were below our reference value for normal men. In contrast, FSH and LH concentrations were higher while prolactin levels were not different. These data are consistent with sirolimus-related testosterone suppression and suggest a need for further studies.
Fritsche
Lutz
L
Department of Nephrology, Charité Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany. Lutz.Fritsche@charite.de
Budde
Klemens
K
Dragun
Duska
D
Einecke
Gunilla
G
Diekmann
Fritz
F
Neumayer
Hans-Hellmut
HH
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood; D020123:Sirolimus / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*
D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D013739:Testosterone; D011388:Prolactin; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone; D020123:Sirolimus