ABSTRACT

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a weak androgenic hormone largely found in the circulation in its sulfated form of the dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEAS). DHEAS is converted to the biologically active form-DHEA-by sulfatase, present in a variety of cells. Apart from the predominant secretion by the adrenal gland, DHEAS is synthesized by the gonadal tissue as well as cells of the central nervous system (CNS). Although DHEA has been extensively studied over the last decades, its physiological signi‰cance and possible role in human diseases is still unclear (Kroboth et al. 1999; Mellon 2007). Interestingly, it has been suggested that DHEA may act as a “buffer hormone” to preserve the homeostatic balance (Regelson, Loria, and Kalimi 1988).