Effects of hCG on Serum Levels of Testosterone, Dihydrotestosterone and Androstenedione in Male Mice

Abstract
The concentrations of testosterone (T), 5.alpha.-dihydrotestosterone (5.alpha.-DHT) and .DELTA.4-androstenedione (.DELTA.4A) in the circulating blood were increased by a single s.c. injection of 10 IU of hCG [human chorionic gonadotropin] in the mouse. The response of androgen synthesis to hCG stimulation was rapid and persisted over a period of 96 h. The increased supply of T to the peripheral organ(s) under the stimulation of hCG might contribute to an increase in circulating 5.alpha.-DHT. The changes in T/5.alpha.-DHT ratio imply that the stimulation of T and 5.alpha.-DHT production by hCG were not of the same degree.