RESEARCH ARTICLE

andropause including a lack of energy, decreased mental acuity, a loss of overall well-being, and sexual dysfunction [2-4]. Androgen deficiency in aging men may also occur concomitantly with a geriatric syndrome called sarcopenia or the loss of significant amounts of lean skeletal muscle quality of life [6]. Although the causal factors leading to sarcopenia are complex and multifactorial, there is a clear association between age-related decreases in testosterone levels and increased incidences of sarcopenia [2,6]. In males, tes-tosterone is predominantly synthesized by Leydig cells of the testes using the steroid biosynthesis pathway.functions including menopause in women and a deterior-Background: Comparisons of hormones such as dihydrotestosterone (DHT), estradiol (E2), and testosterone indicate their impact on metabolism and body composition. While less is known regarding DHT and E2, testosterone is an androgenic metabolic hormone capable of positively regulating a variety of anabolic and androgenic processes in the body. Accordingly, it has been postulated that the age-related reduction in seru