Data here obtained by RNA sequencing showed that chronic treatment (i.e., for 20 days) with finasteride affects the expression of hypothalamic and hippocampal rat genes. As we reported, the most affected brain area is the hypothalamus, with 15 genes downregulated and 171 genes upregulated. Among the downregulated genes, we will here discuss those that, based […]
Tag Archives: University of Milano
Post-Finasteride Syndrome And Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction: Two Clinical Conditions Apparently Distant, But Very Close
Post-finasteride syndrome and post-SSRI sexual dysfunction, are two poorly explored clinical conditions in which men treated for androgenetic alopecia with finasteride or for depression with SSRI antidepressants show persistent side effects despite drug suspension (e.g., sexual dysfunction, psychological complaints, sleep disorders). Because of some similarities in the symptoms, common pathological mechanisms are proposed here. Indeed, […]
Exploring Rat Corpus Cavernosum Alterations Induced by Finasteride Treatment and Withdrawal
Data here reported indicate that the subchronic treatment with finasteride is able to directly affect the enzyme 5α-R type II in the rat corpus cavernosum and consequently the conversion of T into DHT. Indeed, we reported a decrease in its protein expression, associated with rise in the levels of its substrate and a decrease in […]
Gut Inflammation Induced by Finasteride Withdrawal: Therapeutic Effect of Allopregnanolone in Adult Male Rats
[P]revious observations in PFS patients and an experimental model showed alterations in gut microbiota populations, suggesting an inflammatory environment. To confirm this hypothesis, we…explored the effect of chronic treatment with finasteride…and its withdrawal…on the levels of steroids, neurotransmitters, pro-inflammatory cytokines and gut permeability markers in the colon of adult male rat. The obtained data demonstrate […]
Treatment of male rats with finasteride, an inhibitor of 5alpha-reductase enzyme, induces long-lasting effects on depressive-like behavior, hippocampal neurogenesis, neuroinflammation and gut microbiota composition.
Our findings indicate that finasteride treatment causes several alterations in the hippocampus that are detected at the end of the treatment… coincide with the apparition of depressive-like behavior, suggesting that long term effects of finasteride treatment on neurogenesis and neuroinflammation may participate in the enduring effects of the drug on depressive-like behavior, which are detected […]
Team Melcangi Launches ‘Milano Project’ to Map the Basic Science of PFS so Research Can Move from an Animal Model to Human Clinical Trials
Initial therapeutic target is allopregnanolone April 11, 2024 Dear Friends: Roberto Cosimo Melcangi, PhD, is taking a page out of Robert Oppenheimer’s playbook. The Head of the Neuroendocrinology Unit in the Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of Milano (UniMi) this week launched an initiative to supercharge post-finasteride syndrome (PFS) research and, […]
Search for Sources of Major PFS Symptoms Pinpoints 186 Brain Genes
New UniMi study enumerates pathologies including depression, anxiety, insomnia, and cognitive dysfunction potentially linked to finasteride-induced genetic dysregulation March 16, 2024 Dear Friends: Turns out, post-finasteride syndrome may indeed be all in your head—namely, your hypothalamus and hippocampus. So demonstrates the latest research from the University of Milano (UniMi), which has identified 186 genes in […]
Internet Access to Prescription-Free Finasteride ‘Is a Serious Risk,’ Warns PFS Investigator Roberto Melcangi
‘My colleagues are seeing many cases’ of this condition, the UniMi endocrinology professor notes in his first-ever long-form TV interview Jan. 7, 2024 Dear Friends: After a decade of being reduced to mere soundbites on TV news reports, Roberto Cosimo Melcangi is finally getting some quality time in the spotlight. Last month, Italy’s Byoblu TV—having […]
ED that Occurs During Finasteride Treatment Differs from ED that Persists Post-Treatment, Says New UniMi Research
PFS Investigator Roberto Melcangi suspects the post-treatment variety springs from neuroendocrine disorder, rather than genital pathology Aug. 28, 2023 Dear Friends: Finasteride use can, and does, lead to erectile dysfunction that can, and does, last indefinitely in a subset of patients. By this point in the epidemiology of PFS, few self-respecting doctors would argue with […]
Allopregnanolone Counteracts Finasteride-induced Alterations in Gut Microbiota, According to New University of Milano Research
Study marks first-ever demonstration of a successful PFS therapy in an animal model Oct. 29, 2022 Dear Friends: The neurosteroid allopregnanolone (ALLO) has proved effective in counteracting some of the finasteride-induced alterations in gut microbiota, according to new research at the University of Milano (UniMi). Titled Gut Inflammation Induced by Finasteride Withdrawal: Therapeutic Effect of […]