The Discovery and derivation of testosterone

The discovery and research of testosterone and its derivatives is of great significance, which opens the door of modern hormonology and greatly promotes the development of endocrinology, reproductive medicine and biology.

The discovery of testosterone

In the late 19th century, scientists studying the effects of castration on animals noticed that castrated animals lacked certain masculine traits and were associated with decreased sexual function. The 1889, French physiologists experimented by injecting themselves with animal testicle extracts and reported various positive effects, sparking interest in the potential role of testicular secretions. In the mid-19th century, German physiologists conducted extensive research on testicular function and transplantation. His experiments with roosters have shown that testicular tissue transplants can restore the second trait. This is further evidence of the existence of a substance that determines male sexuality.

However, the chemical structure of testicular secretions has not been isolated and identified. It was not until 1935 that Dutch endocrinologists successfully isolated and purified the hormone testosterone from bull testicles and named it testosterone. This is an important milestone in the understanding of male sex hormones. In this process, the structure of testosterone confirm to be 4-androsten-17β-olone, molecular formula C19H28O2, molecular weight 288.4.

By the 1940s to the 1970s, the physiological effects and mechanisms of testosterone were gradually studied clearly, including its transformation metabolism in vivo, and the binding effect with receptors. This laid the foundation for the clinical application of testosterone.

Synthetic testosterone

After successfully isolating testosterone, scientists began researching ways to synthesize the hormone. Since then, many scientists have successfully synthesized testosterone, including extracting sterols from plant extracts and converting them into testosterone, or directly synthesizing testosterone using chemical reactions.

A derivative of testosterone

With the development of modern biotechnology, and scientists have in-depth research on testosterone, found and synthesized a variety of different testosterone derivatives,

Including oral testosterone, different ester testosterone, steroids, etc., have promoted the wide application of testosterone in various medical fields.

Testosterone plays a vital role in all aspects of male physiology, including sexual development, muscle growth, bone density, and red blood cell production.