Pleasantness of the odor of androstenone as a function of sexual intercourse experience in women and men.

Androstenone (5α-androst-16-en-3-one) and other androstenes, body odor components occurring in apocrine secretions, may play a role in human chemosignaling. We hypothesized that the odor of androstenone may gain hedonic value from sexual intercourse experiences via associative learning. Young adults (N = 397, 61.5% women, age 21-24 years, randomly sampled regarding sexual experience) rated the intensity and pleasantness of the odors of androstenone, cinnamon, chocolate, isovaleric acid, lemon, and turpentine. Among women who were able to perceive androstenone, the odor was rated as more pleasant (less unpleasant) by those who had had experienced sexual intercourse with at least one partner (n = 175) than by those who reported never having experienced intercourse (n = 12, p = .006). The difference was specific to women. The results suggest that, among women, sexual experience may modify the pleasantness of the odor of androstenone.

Improvement in immune parameters and human immunodeficiency virus-1 viral response in individuals treated with 16alpha-bromoepiandrosterone (HE2000).

A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study examined the safety, tolerance, immunological effect and anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) activity of sub-cutaneously administered HE2000 (16alpha-bromoepiandrosterone) as monotherapy in treatment-naïve patients with HIV-1. Twenty-four patients received five sequential daily doses of 50 or 100 mg of HE2000 or placebo every 6 weeks for up to three courses, and were followed thereafter for 3 months. HE2000 was safe, with transient injection site reactions being the main side-effect. Peripheral blood samples, collected serially, were analysed for changes in immune cell phenotypes. Significant increases were observed in the numbers of circulating dendritic cells, early activated (CD69+ CD25-) CD8 T-cells and T-NK cells after administration of 50-mg doses of HE2000 (p < 0.05). Gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was analysed by real-time RT-PCR. Before treatment, HIV-1-infected patients had significantly elevated transcripts for a number of inflammatory mediators (p < 0.012). After 50 mg or 100 mg HE2000, but not after placebo, there were significant sustained decreases in IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, IL-6 and Cox-2 transcripts (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in CD4 cell numbers, although patients receiving 50-mg doses demonstrated a significant decrease in viral load (- 0.6 log; p < 0.01). Anti-HIV-1 T-cell responses were analysed serially using GAG-peptides to stimulate cytoplasmic IFN-gamma responses. After three courses, the 50-mg dose group demonstrated a significant increase in CD8 T-cell response against two distinct GAG peptide pools (p < 0.03). These findings suggest that immune-based therapies may be able to impact viral load by decreasing inflammation and/or stimulating CD8 T-cells.

Suppression of the development of female hamster behaviour by implants of testosterone and non-aromatizable androgens administered neonatally.

Testosterone in its free form, and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and androsterone, both androgens which are not aromatizable to oestrogen, injected in oil during the neonatal period have been reported not to modify the development of female sexual behaviour. This failure might be due to the short period of activity of these substances when injected in liquid vehicles. In the current study, a Silastic pellet containing 9% of its weight of testosterone, androsterone, or DHT was implanted subcutaneously in 42 female and 38 neonatally castrated male hamsters on day 2 of life and removed on day 10. Pellets of pure Silastic were implanted in 36 control animals. Males were gonadectomized on day 5 and females on day 45. Female sexual behaviour induced by oestradiol benzoate and progesterone was measured in a series of 10-min mating tests with vigorous males, starting at 55 days of age. The duration of lordosis was consistently reduced below control levels in females implanted with testosterone, DHT, and androsterone, and in males, with testosterone and DHT. Thus the free form of testosterone, and some non-aromatizable androgens, when present for a sufficiently long period after birth, can permanently suppress development of female reproductive behaviour.

Administration of constant low doses of androgens to steers by silastic implant. Suppression of gonadotropins and peripheral conversion of androgens.

Yearling Hereford calves approximately 300 kg in weight were castrated and assigned to one of six treatment groups receiving subcutaneous implants (3 implants, 0.5 cm diameter by 10 cm length, 10% steroid by weight) of either androstenedione (D); testosterone (T); 5 alpha-androstane-3 beta, 17 beta-diol (3 beta-diol); dihydrotestosterone (DHT); androsterone (A); or control (no steroid). Blood samples were obtained at half-hour intervals for eight hours one day prior to, and one week after, castration. The castration-induced elevation in FSH secretion was suppressed or modified by the DHT, T, and 3 beta-diol implants. LH levels were not significantly suppressed. The T implants elevated serum T concentrations; DHT implants elevated serum 5 alpha-androstane-3 alpha, 17 beta-diol (3 alpha-diol) and 3 beta-diol, but not DHT concentrations; 3 beta-diol implants elevated serum 3 beta-diol concentrations. The effects of D and A implants upon serum androgen concentrations were not statistically significant, although observations in vitro suggested an adequate release rate. These data imply that T and DHT, or metabolites of DHT, suppress FSH secretion and suggest that extensive peripheral androgen metabolism occurs.

Parasiticidal effect of 16alpha-bromoepiandrosterone (EpiBr) in amoebiasis and cysticercosis.

The effect of the dehydroepiandrosterone analog 16alpha-bromoepiandrosterone (EpiBr) was tested on the tapeworm Taenia crassiceps and the protist Entamoeba histolytica, both in vivo and in vitro. Administration of EpiBr prior to infection with cysticerci in mice reduced the parasite load by 50% compared with controls. EpiBr treatment induced 20% reduction on the development of amoebic liver abscesses in hamsters. In vitro treatment of T. crassiceps and E. histolytica cultures with EpiBr, reduced reproduction, motility and viability in a dose- and time-dependent fashion. These results leave open the possibility of assessing the potential of this hormonal analog as a possible anti-parasite drug, including cysticercosis and amoebiasis.

On the trigeminal percept of androstenone and its implications on the rate of specific anosmia.

Specific anosmia is a term that describes an inability to perceive a particular odorant in the context of an otherwise normal olfactory acuity. The most common example, for the odor of androstenone, has been ascribed a prevalence ranging from 2 to 45%. In two experiments we sought to determine whether this wide range could be explained by the difference in steroid concentrations used, and by the degree to which the trigeminal system contributes to perception of androstenone. Experiment 1 demonstrated that high concentrations of androstenone stimulated the trigeminal system, as indicated by electrophysiological recordings. Experiment 2 demonstrated that conscious detection of androstenone is possible based solely on the trigeminal system. Interestingly, detection seems to interact with olfactory acuity in that subjects with a low olfactory sensitivity to androstenone were better able to detect its trigeminal component. The agreement between conscious experience and behavioral discrimination was not well calibrated, in that subjects demonstrated a clear overconfidence in their abilities. Altogether, the current study suggests that androstenone is an odorant that produces a concentration-dependent degree of trigeminal stimulation. This trigeminal component explains the diversity of the reported prevalence of specific anosmia for androstenone and might have implications on future use of specific anosmia as a tool to understand odor processing.

Opiate-like naloxone-reversible effects of androsterone sulfate in rats.

Androsterone sulfate (5alpha-androstan-3alpha-ol-17-one, 3-sodium sulfate) administered to freely moving rats via cerebroventricular cannulae induced analgesia, wet-dog shakes, body jerks, rigidity, Straub tail, hypermotility, excessive grooming, hyperreactivity to stimuli, aggression, escape behavior, EEG spiking, and behavioral and EEG seizures. These responses resemble those produced by certain opiate drugs and by beta-endorphin, an endogenous peptide; they appear during the 5-min infusion period, persist in some cases for several hours, and are diminished by pretreatment with the narcotic antagonist naloxone. These findings indicate that steroid hormones can act upon at least some of the same central pathways influenced by recognized opiate compounds.