Testosterone
metaboliteTestosterone deficiency increases atherosclerotic disease progression and thrombotic risk through inflammatory and hemostatic effects.
Pathway placement
Cascade stepOff-pathway / systemic markers
Confidencemedium
RationaleAndrogen modulation of atherosclerosis, inflammation and coagulation; CV risk factor.
Also acts inVascular inflammation, Platelet activation
Druggability
Not assessed (no mapped human gene target).
Type I vs Type II discrimination
ScoresIndeterminate
R — rupture / Type-I—
C — confounder / Type-II33
A — assay feasibility42
E — evidence strength50
T1DI (composite)9
Specificity differential (R−C)-18.3
Confounder panel (Type-II drivers)
1sepsis / systemic inflammationn/a
2anemia / acute blood lossn/a
3hypovolemia / dehydrationn/a
4tachyarrhythmian/a
5hypoxemia / respiratory failuremag 1
6hypertensive emergencymag 1
7high-demand / peri-operative stressn/a
Coverage: 2/7 confounders with evidence
Tier: deep-scored (abstract-extracted) · 2 supporting references. See the discrimination table for all markers.
Assay & specimen
Class-level default (no specific cleared assay)— generic method inferred from analyte class; confirm against a specific product insert before use.
Specimen
Serum, plasma or urine
Collection tube
Serum separator (gold/red-top, SST) · Lithium heparin (green-top) · Sterile urine container
Method / principle
LC-MS/MS (targeted metabolomics) or enzymatic colorimetric where available
Reagent / substrate
Stable-isotope-labeled internal standard (MS); or enzyme-coupled Trinder reagent
Platform
LC-MS/MS; some automated chemistry
Turnaround · availability
Send-out / research · Specialized / research
Literature evidence(4)
- Cardiovascular risk and testosterone - from subclinical atherosclerosis to lipoprotein function to heart failure.Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders · 2021 · PMID 33616800 · doi
- Testosterone concentrations and risk of cardiovascular events in androgen-deficient men with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.American heart journal · 2020 · PMID 32335402 · doi
- CYP17A1 deficient XY mice display susceptibility to atherosclerosis, altered lipidomic profile and atypical sex development.Scientific reports · 2020 · PMID 32472014 · doi
- Smoking and low serum testosterone associates with high concentration of oxidized LDL.Annals of medicine · 2008 · PMID 18608119 · doi