In a recent review published in the Nutrients , a group of authors reviewed the use of natural polyphenolic compounds to enhance testosterone production and prevent age-related hypogonadism in aging males. Study: Prevention of Male Late-Onset Hypogonadism by Natural Polyphenolic Antioxidants . Image Credit: marilyn barbone/Shutterstock.
com Androgens are primarily produced by Leydig cells in the testes and are vital for the development and maintenance of male sex organs and secondary sexual characteristics. Testosterone stimulates the development of male reproductive structures in the embryo and plays key roles at puberty, including spermatogenesis and regulation of gonadotropins. Testosterone production declines by about 1% per year starting in the thirties, leading to late-onset hypogonadism, characterized by reduced libido, muscle mass, and bone density, among other symptoms.
Further research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms by which polyphenolic compounds enhance testosterone production and to establish their efficacy and safety as therapeutic agents for preventing late-onset hypogonadism in aging males. Leydig cells are responsible for the biosynthesis of testosterone in the testis. They also produce androstenedione and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), though these hormones are less effective at activating the androgen receptor than testosterone.
Leydig cells contain the aromatase enzyme (CYP19A1), which converts androgens into estrogens, though this conversion .
