Testosterone vs Dihydrotestosterone: what is the difference?
Dihydrotestosterone is testosterone with one double bond reduced, a more potent local form made in skin, prostate and hair follicles.
Sources and notes
- The sentence under the titlefrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notesThe pair's answer line.
- The two drawingscomputedMoleculeFinder rule (RDKit MCS)Drawn the same way round on the skeleton they share. Aligned; 10 atoms differ, too many to mark as one group.
- Structural similaritycomputedRDKit Morgan/Tanimoto0.50 of 1, a Morgan fingerprint Tanimoto coefficient. It measures shape, not effect.
Side by side
| Testosterone | Dihydrotestosterone | |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular weightCalculated PubChem | 288.4 g/molC19H28O2 | 290.4 g/molC19H30O2 |
| Hydrogen-bond donorsCalculated PubChem | 1 | 1 |
| FamilyEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Steroid hormones | Steroid hormones |
| Everyday groupEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Body | Body |
| Chemical groupsCalculated Found by rule (RDKit) | Alcohols, Ketones | Alcohols, Ketones |
| Hazard labelReported ECHA, HSDB via PubChem; ECHA via PubChem | Danger | Danger |
| The supplier-filed hazard label's signal word, not a statement about ordinary use. | ||
Sources and notes
- Molecular weightcomputedPubChemComputed from the structure; the formula is under each weight.
- Hydrogen-bond donorscomputedPubChemThe hydrogens on nitrogen or oxygen that each molecule can lend to a hydrogen bond, counted from its structure.
- Familyfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Everyday groupfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Chemical groupscomputedFound by rule (RDKit)Each group is found in the structure by a chemical pattern.
- Hazard labelfrom sourceECHA, HSDB via PubChem; ECHA via PubChem
- ECHAfrom sourceAttributionSource: European Chemicals Agency, echa.europa.eu.
- Identifiersfrom sourcePubChemPubChem CID 6013 (Testosterone) and 10635 (Dihydrotestosterone).
In more detail
The enzyme that makes it is 5 alpha reductase. It binds the same androgen receptor but far more tightly, so it is the more potent of the two at the tissues that make it. That local conversion is the point of the pair: testosterone circulates as the general signal, and DHT is the amplified local version in specific tissues. It is DHT rather than testosterone that drives male pattern hair loss and prostate growth, which is why finasteride works by blocking the enzyme that makes it rather than by lowering testosterone. The weights differ by two hydrogens, 290.4 against 288.4.
Sources and notes
- The paragraphfrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notes
Questions
- What is the difference between Testosterone and Dihydrotestosterone?
- Dihydrotestosterone is testosterone with one double bond reduced, a more potent local form made in skin, prostate and hair follicles.
- Is Testosterone bigger than Dihydrotestosterone?
- Dihydrotestosterone is the heavier molecule, 290.4 g/mol against 288.4 g/mol for Testosterone. Testosterone is C19H28O2 and Dihydrotestosterone is C19H30O2.
Sources and notes
- The answersfrom sourceMoleculeFinderThe first is the pair's answer line; the others are read off the table above.