ABSTRACT

The prostate develops and grows under the controlling influence of the hypothalamopituitary axis (Figure 18). The hypotbalamus normally secretes the decapeptide luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) in a pulsatile fashion, which then passes down the pituitary stalk to the pituitary gland to provoke the release of luteinizing hormone (LH). LH enters the circulation and acts on the Leydig cells of the testes, thereby stimulating testosterone formation and release. Testosterone in the circulation is

mainly bound to sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG); only the unbound portion is available, to enter the cytoplasm and nucleus of prostatic cells by a process of simple diffusion.