? about DHT

[Rose]

I’ve been having some difficulty obtaining a definitive answer from my doctor. I realize that DHT is a metabolite of testosterone but I’m curious about whether DHT is formed from unbound testosterone or can it result from ANY testosterone in the body.

I guess it basically boils down to, if your free testosterone is undetectable but your total testosterone was within range, would you still be producing DHT?

Thanks for any info you may have!!

[DrMariano2]

@Rose 982 wrote:

I’ve been having some difficulty obtaining a definitive answer from my doctor. I realize that DHT is a metabolite of testosterone but I’m curious about whether DHT is formed from unbound testosterone or can it result from ANY testosterone in the body.

I guess it basically boils down to, if your free testosterone is undetectable but your total testosterone was within range, would you still be producing DHT?

Thanks for any info you may have!!

Testosterone in the blood stream occurs in three states:

Testosterone bound to albumin – which is the bulk of testosterone – is loosely bound. This means for much of the time, it is free. It goes back and forth between bound state and the unbound state.

Testosterone bound to sex hormone binding globulin is more tightly bound than to albumin. But then again, it is not permanently bound. Some of the time, it is in the free state and other times it is bound.

Free Testosterone, of course is what is transiently free. Interestingly, what testosterone is free is not the same testosterone all the time. It is like musical chairs – what is free is what cycles between albumin and SHBG. Free Testosterone is going to vary up and down depending statistically on what is bound for the moment to binding proteins.

It is possible to create DHT from any of the three states of testosterone. Less may be formed if free testosterone is less. But not necessarily. From my point of view, for examle, testosterone that is bound to albumin may just as well be free since much of time time, it is unbound. This is why free testosterone and albumin-bound testosterone together are considered bioavailable testosterone.

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