Consider the following scenario. A professional baseball palyer wants to \"bulk

Question

Consider the following scenario. A professional baseball palyer wants to "bulk up" and increase his muscle mass to improve his power hitting. Therefore, he starts taking an anabolic steroid (male androgen that mimics or converts to testosterone). With long-term use of the male androgen, he will experience an increase in plasma levels of testosterone.

a.) As a result of exogenous androgen use, will his own endogenous production of testosterone increase, decrease, or stay relatively the same?

b.) Explain your answer to 6a using the principles of negative feedback and hypothalamic-pituitary regulation of the testes.

c.) If this athlete does not also take an aromatase inhibitor, he will experience a growth of breast tissue. Explain the mechanism of breast growth as a result of anabolic steroid use.

Explanation / Answer

A). His endogenous androgen production will decrease. Main androgen in males is Testosterone and dihydrotesteosterone. As androgen is supplied from outside thus their concentration will increase.

B). Hypothalamus secrete GnRH which stimulate pitutary to release LH and FSH which stimulate synthesis and release of androgen from male gonads. Androgen if excess cause inhibition of FSH and LH by negative feedback which further decreases androgen. production. Thus exogenous androgen will lead to overall increase in concentration of androgen in body which will inhibit secretion of FSH, LH and GnRH which will decrease endogenous androgen.

C). Aromatase are enzyme that is responsible for converting testosterone into estrogen which is predominantly female hormone. Estrogen is main hormone that cause development of breast thus is he doesn't take aromatase inhibitor then the exogenous androgen will converted to estrogen and estrogen level will increase which will cause development of breast.

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