Prolonged ethanol consumption increases testosterone metabolism in the liver

Male alcoholics often suffer from features of hypogonadism related to abnormal metabolism of sex steroids. Since the activity of testosterone reductases is rate limiting for testosterone metabolism in the liver, the effect of prolonged ethanol consumption by rats and human volunteers on the activities of these microsomal and cytosolic enzymes was studied. In rats, long-term ethanol ingestion doubled microsomal 5alpha-testosterone reductase activity, a major pathway for testosterone metabolism, while in human volunteers the activity was increased two- to fivefold. These changes may play a role in the altered androgenic activity of the chronic alcoholic.