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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2021 May 1.
Published in final edited form as: J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2019 Dec 20;199:105567. doi: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2019.105567

Figure 8. Hypothetical model of physiological relevance of steroid-17,20-desmolase activity in urinary microbes in the context of prostate cancer.

Figure 8.

Urinary microbes inhabiting a minimal nutrient environment metabolize glucocorticoids for energy, generating androgens that diffuse into surrounding prostate tissue. Microbe-derived androgens activate androgen receptor (AR), leading to increased proliferation of androgen-dependent prostate cancer cells and ultimately resulting in prostate cancer progression.