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Article: Testosterone
- Article from:
- Chemistry: Foundations and Applications
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 The Gale Group, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Testosterone
Testosterone is a male sex hormone, one of a class of compounds known as
androgens
. Included in this group are testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and androstenedione. Androgens are synthesized from cholesterol and are considered steroid hormones, a category of hormones that includes female sex hormones such as
estrogen
. The isolation and
synthesis
of testosterone were reported in 1935. Chemists Adolf Butenandt and Leopold Ruzicka later received the Nobel Prize in chemistry (in 1939) for this work and related discoveries.
Testosterone (which is also present in small amounts in females) stimulates the growth of the male reproductive organs and promotes the development ...