ABSTRACT
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), produced by the adrenal glands and the brain, is the most abundant hormone in the human body and one of the least understood. In contrast to other adrenal steroids or gonad-derived estrogens and androgens, circulating DHEA levels follow a trend during development and aging. DHEA is a major product of the adrenal primordium, and DHEA and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) levels are very high in fetal adrenals. Directly after birth, DHEA levels decrease and remain low for the ‰rst ‰ve years of life, followed by a rise during adrenarche at 5-6 years of age, reaching a peak in early adulthood before declining again (Rainey et al. 2002). These observations suggest a signi‰cant role for DHEA in development and aging, affecting cell proliferation and differentiation processes. However, the mechanisms regulating these DHEA secretion patterns, a speci‰c DHEA receptor, and the exact physiological and pathophysiological roles of DHEA have not been de‰ned yet. This chapter provides an overview of the effects of DHEA on cell differentiation.
