5-alpha-reductase

noun

5-al·​pha-re·​duc·​tase

variants also 5α-reductase

ˈfīv-ˈal-fə-ri-ˈdək-ˌtās, -ˌtāz 

: an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone

Note: Drugs (such as finasteride) are sometimes used to inhibit 5-alpha-reductase in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. A deficiency of 5-alpha-reductase causes the genetic disorder 5-alpha-reductase deficiency.