The following is a summary of “Serum Insulin-like Factor 3, Testosterone, and LH in Experimental and Therapeutic Testicular Suppression,” published in the November 2023 issue of Endocrinology by Albrethsen, et al.
While insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3) is recognized as a Leydig cell biomarker, its response to hypothalamus-pituitary-testicular suppression remains less understood. For a study, researchers sought to investigate the concurrent alterations in serum concentrations of INSL3, testosterone, and LH during experimental and therapeutic testicular suppression.
Serum samples from three cohorts undergoing testicular suppression were analyzed: healthy young men treated with androgens (Sustanon); transgender girls (male sex assigned at birth) receiving 3-monthly GnRH agonist injections; and patients with prostate cancer subjected to surgical castration or GnRH agonist treatment. Serum INSL3 and testosterone were quantified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and LH was measured through an ultrasensitive immunoassay.
Experimental testicular suppression in healthy men using Sustanon led to decreased circulating concentrations of INSL3, testosterone, and LH, which subsequently returned to baseline after suppression release. Similarly, transgender girls and prostate cancer patients undergoing therapeutic hormonal hypothalamus-pituitary-testicular suppression exhibited reduced levels of all three hormones.
INSL3 demonstrated sensitivity as a testicular suppression marker, mirroring testosterone’s behavior and indicating Leydig cell function. INSL3 measurements in serum could complement testosterone as a marker in male reproductive disorders, therapeutic testicular suppression, and monitoring the illicit use of androgens.
Source: academic.oup.com/jcem/article-abstract/108/11/2834/7180820?redirectedFrom=fulltext
