Structure of Dihydrotestosterone

The structure of testosterone closely resembles that of dihydrotestosterone.

Dihydrotestosterone is a hormone that serves a key role the development of male sex organs, and can also be used as a performance-enhancing steroid. It can be created from testosterone by the enzyme 5α-reductase.

Steroid Structure

Steroids are a specific category of lipids that are characterized by four fused rings, comprising a base of 17 carbon atoms. Certain steroids, such as testosterone and DHT, can also function as hormones, and are called steroid hormones.

DHT Structure

Like all steroids, DHT possesses a typical 17-carbon base of four fused rings. Like testosterone, DHT possesses the following functional groups: two methyl groups (-CH3; one at carbon 10 and one at carbon 13), a hydroxyl group (-OH; carbon 17), and a ketone (=O; carbon 1). However, unlike testosterone, the double bond between carbons Nos. 4 and 5 is reduced to a single bond in DHT.

Implications of DHT

The structure of DHT enables it to bind to androgen receptors, which control development of the secondary sex hormones and sex organs in males; muscle growth, facial and body hair growth, as well as the deepening of the voice can be attributed to DHT.

References

• Virginia Commonwealth University.edu: Androgens
• Online Digitial Education Connection.ca: Anabolic Androgenic Steroids
• Cancer.gov: Definition of Dihydrotestosterone

Resources

• Dihydrotestosterone.org: About Dihydrotestosterone