Age-related changes in serum and brain levels of androgens in male Brown Norway rats.
Age-related depletion of androgens in men results in functional impairments in androgen-responsive tissues, such as the brain, resulting in increased risk for Alzheimer's disease. To investigate the relationship between normal age-related hormone loss and Alzheimer's disease risk, we evaluated the brain and serum levels of androgens and estrogen in aging male rats. We observed that increasing age was associated with a significant reduction in brain levels of the potent androgen dihydrotestosterone and a trend toward decreased testosterone. Brain levels of soluble beta-amyloid were observed to increase with age. Collectively, these findings highlight differences in brain and circulating levels of androgens during aging, and identify an inverse correlation with beta-amyloid levels that may be relevant to Alzheimer's disease risk.
Rosario
Emily R
ER
Neuroscience Graduate Program, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Chang
Lilly
L
Beckett
Tina L
TL
Carroll
Jenna C
JC
Paul Murphy
M
M
Stanczyk
Frank Z
FZ
Pike
Christian J
CJ
D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D000728:Androgens / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013196:Dihydrotestosterone / Q000097:blood; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D058225:Plaque, Amyloid / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D012307:Risk Factors; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000502:physiology
D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D000728:Androgens; D013196:Dihydrotestosterone; D013739:Testosterone