Androgens and estrogens in the plasma and prostatic tissue of normal dogs and dogs with benign prostatic hypertrophy.

The endogenous concentrations of certain androgens and estrogens have been quantified in the plasma and prostatic tissue from normal dogs and dogs with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). In the tissue and plasma from both dog populations, the level of estrone was higher than that of estradiol. The concentration of testosterone in the tissue and plasma of both normal dogs and dogs exceeded the concentration of either estrogen. Prostatic levels of dihydrotestosterone greatly exceeded that of testosterone. A comparison of normal dogs and dogs with BPH revealed that in both the plasma and prostatic tissue the concentrations of estradiol and estrone were significantly elevated (P less tha 0.05) in the BPH dogs. Plasma and prostatic levels of testosterone did not differ between the two groups; however, the concentration of dihydrotestosterone in hyperplastic glands was approximately 4 times greater than normal.