The effect of Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench extract on experimental prostate hyperplasia

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea L. Moench) on the prostate gland of rats using an experimental model of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). The animals were administered 50 mg/kg of extract preparation for 4 and 8 weeks and the prostate mass and structural degenerative changes were evaluated in the course of the experiment. The administration of E. purpurea extract to rats with hyperplasia for 4 and 8 weeks gradually and significantly reduced the prostate mass and reversed the degenerative changes in the structure of the prostate gland. The present investigation suggests extract of purple coneflower prevents the development of BPH. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rejuvenation in the early 20th century

Summary. The first theoretical reflections concerning the relation of hormone production with the ageing process stemmed from Charles Edouard Brown-Sequard (1817–1894). At the age of 72 years he experimented on himself with an injection of animal testicular extract.
The Viennese physiologist Eugen Steinach (1861–1944) gained world-wide acknowledgement for his theory of 'autoplastic' treatment of ageing. He deduced that after vasoligation, an increased incretory hormonal production would ensue following the cessation of the secretory output of the gonads. The first operation was performed in 1918 and resulted in a vasectomy boom over the next two decades.
The Russian Serge Voronoff (1866–1951), working in Paris, was one of the first to transplant testicular tissue from a monkey into a human reproductive gland in 1920. Five years later he had already performed this procedure on 300 patients and attracted patients from all over the world.
In America early efforts of human testicular transplantation were performed by Frank Lydston and V.D. Lespinasse. Steinach's vasoligation was taken over by many American doctors, e.g., Harry Benjamin and Charles H. Chetwood. Among the patients who underwent a rejuvenation operation according to Steinach's method were Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) and the Irish poet and Nobel Prize winner William Butler Yeats (1865–1939). Two caricatures from the German magazine Simplicissimus published in 1927, confirm that the rejuvenation operations were constantly in the limelight of the printed media. From 1935 onwards rejuvenation operations gradually lost their appeal due to the introduction of artificial androgens.     

Klinefelter's Syndrome: Hypogonadism,abnormal carbohydrate metabolism. Is it a result of biotin deficiency?

The aetiology of Klinefelter's Syndrome is not known. The causative factor(s) must explain the hypogonadism, low androgen levels, the disordered carbohydrate metabolism and the commonly associated psychiatric conditions. A biotin deficient/dependent state can account for the above. A biotin deficient Klinefelter's Syndrome patients with the above is described. The possible role of biotin in the primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of Klinefelter's Syndrome needs further research.     

Follow up of growth and steroids in premature adrenarche

In a follow up study of 34 patients with premature adrenarche we examined serum adrenal androgen levels and growth. The majority (28/34) showed an upward bend in the growth curve which, at the mean age of 2.3 years, preceded other signs of adrenarche on average by 3.8 years. Pubertal growth spurt was missing or reduced in 50% of the patients (8/16), however, final height did not differ from that expected from parental heights. Adrenal androgens did not remain elevated at adolescence. The mean age at menarche for all the girls was 0.5 years younger than in the general population.Conclusion Our findings imply that premature adrenarche may start earlier than previously recognized. Compared to ordinary growth these children seen to use a greater part of their potential for adult height already at that early age.     

Maintained aggressive behavior in gonadectomized male Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens)

Adult male Betta splendens were gonadectomized and tested twice for aggressive behavior two weeks later. In a mutual viewing test environment, it was found that gonadectomized animals maintained their aggressive behavior on all six indices of aggression at a level equal to controls. Animals that showed some testis regeneration and sham operated fish were also equal to controls. The results are interpreted to mean that adult aggressive behavior in male B. splendens may not be under the control of gonadal hormones. Pituitary gonadotropins, interrenal gland, and critical period hypotheses are given as possible explanations of the maintained aggressiveness following castration.     

Androgen insufficiency in women: diagnostic and therapeutic implications

The proposed key symptoms of the female androgen insufficiency syndrome (FAIS) include reduced libido, diminished well being and lowered mood. The diagnosis of FAIS is made on the basis of these symptoms in the setting of a low serum free testosterone level. However, there is currently no readily available inexpensive assay which reliably measures free testosterone levels in the female range. The diagnosis of FAIS is further complicated by the lack of data demonstrating a minimum serum free testosterone level which, if below this, correlates with the symptoms of FAIS. Despite the complexities involved with defining FAIS, the symptoms have been reported to respond well to testosterone replacement. There is a need for formulations of testosterone therapy specifically designed for use in women, along with clear guidelines regarding optimal therapeutic doses and long-term safety data.     

Male contraception: hormonal, mechanical and other

Methods of male contraception that have been developed so farhave mainly focused on the inhibition of spermatogenesis throughsuppression of the hypothalamo- pituitary secretion of gonodotrophins,and simultaneous supplementation with androgens. These methodsinclude the use of combinations of progestogens or luteinizinghormone-releasing hormone antagonists and testosterone derivatives,or high dose testosterone. Though effective contraception canbe obtained, side-effects and/or the high cost of treatmentlimit the widespread use of these approaches. Inhibition ofsperm maturation in the epididymis, or direct interference withspermatogenic cells or the cells of Sertoli by e.g. gossypolhave been abandoned because of toxic side-effects. Voluntarysterilization by vasectomy is the most commonly used methodof male contraception, but its surgical nature, problematicreversibility and suspected link with subsequent prostate cancerrender the method far from ideal. Non-surgical vas occlusionmay overcome some of these problems, but data on long-term side-effectsand reversibility are lacking. New contraceptive developmentsshould focus on interfering with highly specific aspects ofspermatogenesis such as unique enzymatic processes and intercellularcommunication through cytokines, or application of antibodiesagainst antigens of the epididymis or the spermatozoa. Onlythrough better understanding of normal and pathological spermatogenesiswill it be possible to develop an acceptable male contraceptive.     

Glucocorticoids and androgens up-regulate the Zn-α2-glycoprotein messenger RNA in human breast cancer cells

Summary We have studied the hormonal regulation of the gene encoding Zn-₂-glycoprotein (Zn-₂-gp), a human protein with a high degree of amino acid sequence similarity to class I histocompatibility antigens that is produced by a specific subset of breast carcinomas. Northern blot analysis revealed that dexamethasone and 5-dihydrotestosterone strongly induced the accumulation of Zn-₂-gp mRNA in T-47D human breast cancer cells. Furthermore, the effect of these two hormones was shown to be additive, since the combination of both hormones produced a stimulation of Zn-₂-gp mRNA of at least 3-fold over that produced by either hormone alone. By contrast, the addition of 5-dihydrotestosterone, 17-estradiol, or progesterone failed to induce the expression of Zn-₂-gp. The stimulatory effect of glucocorticoids and androgens on Zn-₂-gp expression was produced in a time and dose dependent manner, without significantly affecting the cell proliferation rate. A time-course study demonstrated that the induction of Zn-₂-gp mRNA by androgens and glucocorticoids reached a level of 4 or 3.2-fold over the untreated control after seven days of incubation in the presence of a 10^–7 M concentration of 5-dihydrotestosterone or dexamethasone, respectively. A dose-response study showed that as little as 10^–11 M of 5-dihydrotestosterone or dexamethasone produced an accumulation of Zn-₂-gp mRNA of 2.4 or 2.1-fold over the control, respectively. On the basis of these results, we propose that Zn-₂-gp may be useful as a biochemical marker of breast carcinomas with a specific pattern of hormone responsiveness in whose development glucocorticoids and/or androgens may play a significant role.