5alpha-Androstane-3alpha,17beta-diol (3alpha-diol) is considered to have no androgenic effects in androgen target organs unless it is oxidized to 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (5alpha-DHT). We used microarray and bioinformatics to identify and compare 3alpha-diol and 5alpha-DHT responsive gene in human prostate LNCaP cells. Through a procedure called 'hypervariable determination', a similar set of 30 responsive genes involving signal transduction, transcription regulation, and cell proliferation were selected in 5alpha-DHT-, 3alpha-diol-, and epidermal growth factor (EGF)-treated samples. F-means cluster and networking procedures showed that the responsive pattern of these genes was more closely related between 3alpha-diol and EGF than between 5alpha-DHT and 3alpha-diol treatments. We conclude that 3alpha-diol is capable of stimulating prostate cell proliferation by eliciting EGF-like pathway in conjunction with androgen receptor pathway.
Anabolic Agents Androstane-3,17-diol