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Androgen Availability

Meaning

Androgen availability refers to the concentration of biologically active androgens, such as testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT), that are unbound to carrier proteins and thus free to interact with target tissues. This free fraction is the physiologically potent component capable of binding to intracellular androgen receptors to elicit a biological response. Assessing total androgen levels alone can be misleading, as the availability is critically regulated by proteins like Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin (SHBG).