237 citations
,
December 2001 in “Urology” Blocking the enzyme 5α-reductase can shrink the prostate and help treat enlarged prostate issues.
February 2013 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Using hair loss drugs finasteride and dutasteride may cause sexual side effects.
February 2026 in “NeuroSci” Finasteride and dutasteride may cause depression and anxiety, especially in younger men.
January 2026 in “Nature Reviews Urology”
1 citations
,
February 2022 in “The Journal of Urology” Certain drugs like Dutasteride and Finasteride might help fight SARS-CoV-2 by increasing levels of a steroid called DHEA, which can protect the heart and increase nitric oxide to counteract the virus.
90 citations
,
March 2017 in “JAMA Internal Medicine” Men over 66 taking medication for prostate enlargement have a higher risk of depression and self-harm, especially in the first 18 months of treatment.
7 citations
,
January 2013 in “European Urology” 5-Alpha reductase inhibitors may prevent prostate cancer but are not widely used due to concerns about trial relevance and potential risks, and more research is needed to confirm long-term benefits.
89 citations
,
February 1993 in “Journal of Medicinal Chemistry” New compounds called benzoquinolinones may treat conditions linked to excess DHT.
28 citations
,
May 1986 in “Clinics in endocrinology and metabolism” New compounds may soon be tested to treat excessive hair growth in women.
May 2024 in “European urology focus” Drugs for prostate enlargement and hair loss were not linked to increased risk of depression or suicide.
26 citations
,
September 2018 in “Neurobiology of Disease” Finasteride and dutasteride reduce unwanted movements from Parkinson's disease treatment by normalizing certain brain signals.
33 citations
,
January 2016 in “Skin appendage disorders” The document concludes that sexual and psychiatric side effects from 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors are reported, but more high-quality research is needed to understand how often they occur.
January 2018 in “Surgical and Cosmetic Dermatology” Finasteride and dutasteride are effective for male hair loss and enlarged prostate but may cause reversible sexual side effects.
July 2025 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology”
13 citations
,
January 2020 in “Neuroscience” Blocking 5α-reductase can harm memory and brain structure, and increase harmful brain changes in male mice used for Alzheimer's disease research.
August 2024 in “Latin American Journal of Development” 5α-reductase enzymes are crucial in certain disorders, and while treatment advances exist, more research on SRD5A3 is needed.
11 citations
,
December 2018 in “Assay and Drug Development Technologies” Natural herbal compounds might treat certain medical conditions by reducing DHT levels, but more research is needed to confirm their effectiveness and safety.
January 1978 in “Enlighten: Theses (The University of Glasgow)” Inhibiting testosterone 5alpha-reductase may help treat benign prostatic hyperplasia.
May 2021 in “The FASEB Journal” The research gives new understanding on how human steroid 5α-reductases work and how drugs like finasteride inhibit them, which could help in creating new drugs.
48 citations
,
February 1999 in “PubMed” Finasteride, a drug, can block the seizure-preventing effects of a hormone called progesterone in mice.
3 citations
,
October 2010 in “Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA eBooks” Finasteride safely treats enlarged prostate and male-pattern baldness.
30 citations
,
June 2010 in “Endocrine Related Cancer” SRD5A1 is crucial in advanced prostate cancer, and blocking both SRD5A1 and SRD5A2 is more effective than targeting SRD5A2 alone.
12 citations
,
November 2024 in “Plants” Phytosterols may help manage prostate issues but are less effective than synthetic drugs.
1 citations
,
August 2017 in “The Journal of urology/The journal of urology” 5α-reductase inhibitors may increase the risk of depression and suicidal thoughts.
15 citations
,
January 2017 in “Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology” 5α-Reductase inhibitors can negatively affect male sexual function and, in some cases, significantly reduce sperm count, but these effects may be reversible.
34 citations
,
February 1993 in “Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology/The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology” Certain 4-azasteroids are effective at blocking the enzyme that processes testosterone in human skin and could help treat acne, excessive hair growth, and male pattern baldness.
6 citations
,
September 2024 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” Oral 5-alpha reductase inhibitors do not increase breast cancer or benign breast disorder risk in women.
53 citations
,
October 2011 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Finasteride may help improve certain brain function issues linked to dopamine.
47 citations
,
January 2003 in “Current opinion in urology” A new drug, dutasteride, is at least as effective as the older drug, finasteride, for treating enlarged prostate and may have additional uses.
3 citations
,
June 2018 in “Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry” Compounds 4, 4b, and 4c effectively inhibit an enzyme linked to testosterone conversion without significant toxicity.