Diminished androgen levels are linked to irritable bowel syndrome and cause bowel dysfunction in mice.

ABSTRACT: Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) have prominent sex differences in incidence, symptoms, and treatment response that are not well understood. Androgens are steroid hormones present at much higher levels in males than females and could be involved in these differences. In adults with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a FGID that affects 5% to 10% of the population worldwide, we found that free testosterone levels were lower than those in healthy controls and inversely correlated with symptom severity. To determine how this diminished androgen signaling could contribute to bowel dysfunction, we depleted gonadal androgens in adult mice and found that this caused a profound deficit in gastrointestinal transit. Restoring a single androgen hormone was sufficient to rescue this deficit,

SUBMITTER: Rastelli D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8759776 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature