Prevention by Certain Steroids of Testicular Atrophy Usually Elicited by Small Doses of Testosterone. ∗

Abstract

Summary and Conclusions

gExperiments on post-pubertal albino rats indicate that androstenediol and pregnenolone prevent the testis atrophy otherwise produced by small doses of testosterone. Since androstenediol possesses only a weak “male hormone” or testoid action and pregnenolone is completely devoid of it, it is evident that the gonad-protecting power of a steroid compound is independent of its testoid action. The experiments suggest, furthermore, that by combining moderate doses of testosterone with a non-testoid compound such as pregnenolone, therapeutic doses of testosterone may be given in cases of eunuchoidism without the danger of producing testis atrophy.