PROPECIAHELP: Persistent Finasteride Propecia Proscar side effects info & discussion forum

In this study, we show that sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs) regulate expression of Srd5a2, an enzyme that catalyzes the irreversible conversion of testosterone to dihydroxytestosterone in the male reproductive tract and is highly expressed in androgen-sensitive tissues such as the prostate and skin. We show that Srd5a2 is induced in livers and prostate from mice fed a chow diet supplemented with lovastatin plus ezitimibe (L/E), which increases the activity of nuclear SREBP-2. The three fold increase in Srd5a2 mRNA mediated by L/E treatment was accompanied by the induction of SREBP-2 binding to the Srd5a2 promoter detected by a ChIP-chip assay in liver. We identified a SREBP-2 responsive region within the first 300 upstream bases of the mouse Srd5a2 promoter by co-transfection assays which contain a site that bound SREBP-2 in vitro by an EMSA. Srd5a2 protein was also induced in cells over-expressing SREBP-2 in culture. The induction of Srd5a2 through SREBP-2 provides a mechanistic explanation for why even though statin therapy is effective in reducing cholesterol levels in treating hypercholesterolemia it does not compromise androgen production in clinical studies.

Well -I have been on Lovastatin during the time off the drug and I can vouch that it has been no real help below the waist. I am on for high cholesterol - I will continue to take since it is the most natural of the statins

All good points, thanks. Anyone look at this ezitimbe ?

martinM, what was your total serum cholesterol? Docs are handing out statins like crazy, and I can show you data that indicates that if your total serum cholesterol is lower than 250 then you should not even bother. Small, dense LDL is the true marker of potential circulatory issues.

By the way, low fat diets have absolutely nothing to do with cholesterol metabolism. We need cholesterol to make testosterone and many other hormones.

kazman

"Ezetimibe reduced prostatic enlargement in aged hamsters as effectively as finasteride and combining the two drugs worked better than either one alone ... finasteride caused atrophy of the hamster prostate while ezetimibe did not"

I wonder who conducted that study...

We need cholesterol to make testosterone and many other hormones.