3alpha-Reduction of dihydrotestosterone in human normal and hypertrophic prostatic tissues.

The activity of 3alpha-reduction of dihydrotestosterone was located in both the particulate and the soluble fractions of human prostatic tissues. Activity of 3alpha-reduction was higher than that of 3beta-reduction under the incubation conditions employed; therefore, the main reductive metabolic pathway of dihydrotestosterone seemed to be the formation of 5alpha-androstane-3alpha,17beta-diol in human prostatic tissues. There was no significant difference between normal and hypertrophic prostatic tissues when the activity of 3alpha-reduction of dihydrostertosterone was compared on a wet weight basis.