Effects of androgen on the bone / 中华男科学杂志

ABSTRACT

Androgen is an anabolic steroid composed of 19 carbon atoms. As a sex hormone, it has far-ranging effects on many sites within the body, including bone metabolism. Androgen has important effects on bone development and homeostasis. It has been proved that the androgen receptor (AR) expresses in bone cells, which indicates that androgen has direct effects on bone cells. Furthermore there is convincing evidence that aromatization to estrogen is an important way of mediating the action of testosterone. Androgen not only plays an important role in gaining the peak bone mass and maintaining the bone mass, but also has a close correlation with aging-related bone loss.