When testosterone is 5α-reduced into DHT, which is a much more potent AAS in comparison, its effects are potentiated on a local level.[1][2] The tissues in which this occurs (i.e., the tissues that express 5α-reductase) are referred to as "androgenic" tissues and include the skin, hair follicles, and prostate gland, among others.[1] The conversion of testosterone into DHT is an important factor in the etiology of a variety of androgen-dependent conditions, including acne, excessive facial/body hair growth, scalp hair loss, prostate enlargement, and prostate cancer.[1] Unlike the case of testosterone and DHT, 5α-DHN is a much weaker agonist of the androgen receptor (AR) than is nandrolone.[1][2][3][4] For this reason, instead of local potentiation in androgenic tissues, there is a local inactivation when nandrolone is converted into 5α-DHN by 5α-reductase in these tissues.[1][2][3] This is thought to be largely or completely responsible for the exceptionally high ratio of anabolic to androgenic effects seen with nandrolone.[1][2]
The combination of nandrolone with a 5α-reductase inhibitor like finasteride or dutasteride will block the conversion of nandrolone into 5α-DHN and, unlike with testosterone and various other AAS, thereby considerably increase the propensity of nandrolone for producing androgenic side effects.[3]
^Bergink EW, Janssen PS, Turpijn EW, van der Vies J (June 1985). "Comparison of the receptor binding properties of nandrolone and testosterone under in vitro and in vivo conditions". J. Steroid Biochem. 22 (6): 831–6. doi:10.1016/0022-4731(85)90293-6. PMID4021486.
