Metabolism and effect of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in the central nervous system

Abstract

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is not only an active steroid, but it also leads to non-genomic effects. More findings on steroid synthesis in the central nervous system (CNS) have been reported showing that the differences with endocrine organs are minimal. Maybe the explanation of the multiple effects of a single molecule as DHEA lies in those pathways. In the CNS, those actions include neuroprotection, dendrite growth, apoptosis, catecholamine synthesis and secretion, as well as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-glucocorticoid functions. Changes in DHEA serum concentration are associated with several diseases. This concentration decreases with age from its maximum in the young people to its minimum when some aging-related disorders are increasingly prevalent. Both DHEA and other steroids generate some effects, but they may also be metabolized to other active molecules, increasing the complexity of their effect; thus, it is essential to describe those metabolic interactions to understand the findings regarding these messengers better.