Differential Gene Expression in Post-Finasteride Syndrome Patients (Baylor College of Medicine)
Howell, S.; et al.; (Khera, Mohit — senior investigator)
Conference presentation; summarized by PFS Network2021
Abstract (paraphrased)
RNA microarray of penile skin from 26 PFS patients vs 26 controls found 1,446 genes over-expressed and 2,318 under-expressed; androgen receptor expression was significantly higher in patients, with differentially expressed AR coregulators including 17-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzymes.
Plain-language summary (paraphrased)
Baylor researchers found that PFS patients' genital tissue had dramatically different gene activity than healthy controls — over 3,700 genes differed, and the androgen receptor itself was overactive. The authors suggested the body may crank up androgen receptors to compensate for DHT loss, and that this overcompensation could drive symptoms across the body.
Why it’s in the corpus
Key molecular evidence for AR overexpression and broad transcriptional dysregulation; supports the epigenetic/compensatory model. The peer-reviewed paper is SIDE-009.
Some fields on this page come from the release’s Markdown edition, which carries text the JSON edition omits.
Related records
- Peer-reviewed paperSIDEfxHUB pick
Androgen Receptor (AR) Gene (CAG)n and (GGN)n Length Polymorphisms and Symptoms in Young Males With Long-Lasting Adverse Effects After Finasteride Use Against Androgenic Alopecia
Cauci, Sabina; Chiriacò, Giovanni; Cecchin, Erika; Toffoli, Giuseppe; Xodo, Serena; Stinco, Giuseppe; Trombetta, Carlo · Sexual Medicine · 5(1):e61-e71
In 66 PFS patients, short/long (CAG)n and (GGN)n repeat lengths in the androgen receptor gene were associated with different symptom frequencies (libido loss, genital sensitivity changes, muscle tone, skin dryness, etc.), with a U-shaped pattern for some…
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PFS/PSSD: I'm going to try something interesting…
u/various (r/DrWillPowers members) · r/DrWillPowers
A patient with ~3 years of PSSD followed by PFS described Powers' theory back to the community (metabolite backlog → epigenetic androgen-receptor changes → persistent "crash") and proposed a 30-day fast as an experiment: fasting blunts the HPG axis, induces…
ARDWP-0072026PFSPSSDCore corpus - Powers gene claim
AR — upregulated expression (~1.7x, citing Khera); theorized epigenetic silencing in his phenotype
Confidence: interview/direct
Citing Khera's published finding of ~1.7x AR upregulation in PFS cells, Powers theorizes intracellular weak-metabolite crowding blocks potent androgens from binding, and that in extreme cases the body epigenetically silences AR expression — producing…
ARPGL-AR2026-04-29; circa May 2026PFSCore corpus
