How is Testosterone Produced Exactly - In greater Detail
Free testosterone molecules in the bloodstream (free testosterone as it is referred to) interacts with a number of cells within the body. These include the skin, scalp, prostate tissues and of course skeletal muscle tissue cells. What happens is the hormone is in order to pass on its chemical message, going to bind with the specific target cell via a certain receptor site - the androgen receptor. It helps for you to think of these receptor site and hormones as a key and key hole situation. The receptor site is like a key hole. The hormone is like a key. There are many, many different hormones in the body, as there are many different shape keys in the world. And there are many different types of receptor sites, like key holes. But only one key type will fit one keyhole type. Testosterone only binds to the androgen receptor site.


When the hormone testosterone binds with skeletal muscle cells at the specific androgen hormone receptor sites, it is going to form what is known as a 'receptor complex'. The complex (made up of the hormone molecule and the receptor site) travels into the cells nucleus and attaches to specific sections of the cells DNA strand. This particular DNA strand is known as the hormone response element. Once attached, the complex activates the transcription of specific genes and the process of protein synthesis begins. In other words, the hormone is like a messenger that passes on the message to the specific cell to increase growth. The testosterone molecule simply carries the code to activate protein synthesis in the cell's nucleus, once it has delivered this code it is released back into the cell's cytosol where it can interact with other cells in the same way. This just happens to be the case in skeletal muscle tissue cells. In other tissues the message delivered may be very different. As mentioned above this hormones also signals the skin to produce more oil, the face and scalp hair growth is affected, much as is the body, along with an increase in the production of red blood cells.


Testosterone produces characteristics in the body, brain and behaviour that we might call 'male typical'. At the purely physical level, these would include a low degree of facial fat, a more pronounced jaw and prominent cheekbones, a deep voice, large hands and greater upper-body strength. At the psychological level we find a heightened curiosity and sex drive, aggression and competitive behaviour.


Alongside its role in protein synthesis, high androgen levels promote the production of Creatine Phosphate (CP), a vital component in the manufacture of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) which is the primary source of energy for muscle cells. During the contraction of the muscle tissue ATP molecules are broken down into ADP (Adenosine Diphosphate) which results in the the release of an energy molecule. CP is used to restore ADP to its original state enabling a constant flow of energy. During intense exercise this process cannot keep up with the rate at which energy is being used; essentially, the ATP molecules cannot be restored fast enough to supply the body with sufficient energy and the muscles will become fatigued. High levels of CP are therefore vital to maintain energy in muscle tissue.