Effects of Chronic Administration of Dehydroepiandrosterone on Serum Testosterone Levels and Prostatic Tissue in Rats

Abstract

Oral ingestion of DHEA on a chronic basis in the rat increases serum DHEAS and total testosterone without any evident change in prostate weight or histology.

Effects of Long-term Administration of the Antiaging Hormone Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate on Rat Prostates and Testes as Androgen-Dependent Organs

“…When we compared the experimental group, which was subjected to chronic DHEAS administration over a 6-month period, with the control and sham groups, the serum DHEAS level of the experimental group was determined to be 35 and 38 times higher, respectively; the total testosterone level of the experimental group was determined to be 2 times higher than that of the two other groups (p=0.001). The serum levels of these two substances were determined to be comparable in the control and sham groups, which is concordant with the literature [6-8]. …”

“…In the first publication on this issue by Zizzi et al [10], signs of prostatic atrophy were shown in the experimental group. By contrast, Rhoden et al [6] reported no signs of atrophy in either the study or the control group. No variations were observed between the prostate cells of the three groups in terms of atypia in the direction of hypertrophy, hyperplasia, or malignancy; dysplasia; and prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia.…”

“…Group 3 included 15 rats that received 5 mg/kg DHEAS solution orally once daily 5 days each week for the same time period as the other groups. This dose was administered according to the protocol used in a similar study in which the standard DHEAS supplementation dose in humans was increased by a factor of 10 to account for the higher hepatic metabolic activity of rats compared with humans [6]. There was no sign of hypogonadism or male climacterium in the rats, because they were of an adult age group.…”

“…The histological sections were analyzed and quantified with respect to the degrees of atrophy and hyperplasia. Furthermore, the stroma gland ratio and papillary component were graded on a semiquantitative scale of 1 to 3 as defined previously [6]. The histologies of the testes were analyzed according to the Johnsen testicular biopsy score count [7].…”

Effects of Tribulus terrestris on endocrine sensitive organs in male and female Wistar rats

“…53-43-0; Natrol Inc., Chatsworth, CA). The dose of DHEA used was 5 mg/kg/day, which is a dose 10 times higher than the usual supplementation dose in humans (Rhoden et al, 2003). In experiments using castrated males and females we also used testosterone propionate and 17-␣-ethynylestradiol, respectively, as positive controls for androgenicity and estrogenicity (see Sections 2.4 and 2.6 below).…”