BACKGROUND Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a neurosteroid, is known to be the most abundant hormone in the human body. Its role in the central nervous system has not been well defined. Previous studies indicate that DHEA is synthesized in the spinal cord and plays an important role in pain modulation. In the present study, we investigated the effect of DHEA on pain threshold in rats after both a...

Tuberculosis (TB) remains the most frequent cause of illness and death from an infectious agent, and its interaction with HIV has devastating effects. We determined plasma levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), its circulating form DHEA-suphate (DHEA-s) and cortisol in different stages of M. tuberculosis infection, and explored their role on the Th1 and Treg populations during different scena...

CONTEXT The age-related decline in dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) levels is thought to be of importance for general and vascular aging. However, data on the association between DHEA and mortality are conflicting. OBJECTIVES We tested the hypothesis that low serum DHEA and DHEA sulfate (DHEA-S) levels predict all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) death in elderly men. DESIGN, SETTING, AN...

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and DHEA sulfate (DHEAS) are anabolic prehormones involved in the synthesis of testosterone. Both have been shown to exert neuroprotective effects during stress. In this randomized, controlled, double-blind field study, we examined the effects of a 12-day DHEA regimen on stress indices in military men undergoing survival training. Forty-eight men were randomized to...

OBJECTIVE Dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-s) is an anabolic protective hormone of importance for maintenance of health. DHEA-s levels peak in young adults and decline thereafter with age. DHEA-s has previously been shown to be lower in individuals reporting prolonged stress. This study investigates DHEA-s levels in patients with clinical burnout, a disorder caused by long-term psychosocia...

The serum levels of an adrenal sex hormone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), are significantly more decreased in human myelomas compared with the reduction brought by physiologic decline with age. In order to clarify the effect of DHEA on myeloma cells, we investigated whether DHEA and DHEA-S could inhibit interleukin-6 (IL-6) production of bone marrow mononuclear cells and the prolifer...

BACKGROUND Dehydroepinadrosterone (DHEA) supplementation improves pregnancy chances in women with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR), by possibly reducing aneuploidy. Since a large majority of spontaneous miscarriages are associated with aneuploidy, one can speculate that DHEA supplementation may also reduce miscarriage rates. METHODS We retroactively compared, utilizing two independent statist...

To determine if the chemopreventive activity of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in the rat mammary gland can be dissociated from its toxicity, two studies were conducted in which low doses of DHEA were administered alone and in combination with other agents to rats treated with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea. Beginning 1 week prior to administration of 35 mg N-methyl-N-nitrosourea per kg body weight, gro...

CONTEXT Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and DHEA sulfate (DHEAS) are the major circulating adrenal steroids and substrates for peripheral sex hormone biosynthesis. In Addison's disease, glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid deficiencies require lifelong replacement, but the associated near-total failure of DHEA synthesis is not typically corrected. OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN In a double-blind trial, w...