By Chioma Umeha
Chinese researchers have developed a potential new
and safe approach for treating male hypogonadism, popularly known as male
andropause, by directly converting adult skin cells into testosterone-producing
cells.
Male hypogonadism, a condition affecting almost a
third of older men, occurs when the body does not produce enough of the
testosterone hormone, primarily due to the dysfunction of
testosterone-producing Leydig cells in the testes.
Testosterone replacement therapy can alleviate
some symptoms resulting from Leydig cell failure such as mood disturbances,
sexual dysfunction and muscle weakening, but it may also increase the risk of
prostate and cardiovascular complications, including the formation of blood clots,
a new study published this week in the US journal Stem Cell Reports said.
Scientists then turned to an alternative type of
treatment, which involved production of Leydig cells by differentiating stem
cells of different sources, such as embryonic stem cells, but the stem
cell-based method has ethical concerns and the risk of tumor occurrence.
In the new study, Yadong Huang and Zhijian Su of
Chinas Jinan University reasoned that the direct conversion of adult skin cells
into Leydig cells would be a safer regenerative medicine approach, state run
Xinhua news agency reported.
