Takeshi Iwasa, Hiroki Noguchi, Risa Tanano, Erika Yamanaka, Asuka Takeda, Kou Tamura, Hidenori Aoki, Tatsuro Sugimoto, Hikari Sasada, Takaaki Maeda, Saki Minato, Shota Yamamoto, Hiroaki Inui, Tomohiro Kagawa, Atsuko Yoshida, Ayuka Mineda, Mari Nii, Riyo Kinouchi, Kanako Yoshida, Yuri Yamamoto and Takashi Kaji : Age-Dependent Changes in the Effects of Androgens on Female Metabolic and Body Weight Regulation Systems in Humans and Laboratory Animals., International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Vol.24, No.23, 16567, 2023.
(Summary)
In recent years, the effects of androgens on metabolic and body weight regulation systems and their underlying mechanisms have been gradually revealed in females. In women and experimental animals of reproductive age, androgen excess can adversely affect metabolic functioning, appetite, and body weight regulation. In addition, excess androgens can increase the risk of metabolic disorders, such as obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes. These unfavorable effects of androgens are induced by alterations in the actions of hypothalamic appetite-regulatory factors, reductions in energy expenditure, insulin resistance in skeletal muscle, and β-cell dysfunction. Interestingly, these unfavorable effects of androgens on metabolic and body-weight regulation systems are neither observed nor evident in ovariectomized animals and post-menopausal women, indicating that the adverse effects of androgens might be dependent on the estrogen milieu. Recent findings may provide novel sex- and age-specific strategies for treating metabolic diseases.