Bacteria that can make testosterone: What could that mean for prostate cancer?
Researchers have discovered a bacterium in the human urinary tract capable of converting DHEA into testosterone in laboratory settings. While this does not prove a link to prostate cancer, it highlights a new microbial pathway that could influence the chemical environment of the prostate.
Why it matters
Understanding the microbiome's role in hormone production could lead to new insights into how prostate cancer develops and is treated.
edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add as preferred source Schematic representation of the findings of the study. Credit: bioRxiv (2025). DOI: 10.64898/2025.12.18.695155 Many prostate cancers depend on androgen hormones, including testosterone, to grow. That is why treatments for advanced disease often try to reduce testosterone production or block its effects. Now, scientists have identified an unexpected participant in androgen chemistry: a bacterium from the human urinary tract that can convert the steroid precursor DHEA into testosterone under laboratory conditions.
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