Further Studies on the Effects of Dihydrotestosterone on Gonadotrophin Release Induced by LH-RH in Men

In order to determine the effect of dihydrotestosterone on the feed-back mechanism of the hypothalamo-pituitary testis axis, seven men were subjected to LH-RH tests before and after treatment with dihydrotestosterone. Our results clearly show that DHT at least in pharmacological doses, inhibits directly basal LH-RH and gonadotrophin secretion, without affecting the pulsatile gonadotrophin release or impairing the pituitary response to LH-RH. The physiological significance of these observations remains however to be proven.