Metabolic consequences of dehydroepiandrosterone in lean and obese adult Zucker rats.
Several previously reported studies have shown that in rodents exogenously administered dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) can cause numerous metabolic changes. In the present study some additional metabolic effects of DHEA are presented using old lean and obese Zucker rats. With this experimental model most of the effects were found to occur in the obese rat. These included decreases in serum insulin and cholesterol as well as a decrease in hepatic acyl-CoA cholesterol-acyl transferase activity. In both lean and obese rats an increase in hepatic long-chain fatty acyl-CoA hydrolase was found. This increase in activity may partially explain DHEA's effect on decreasing body weight in rodents.
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism*; D010170:Palmitoyl-CoA Hydrolase / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011924:Rats, Zucker; D002785:Sterol O-Acyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism
D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase; D002785:Sterol O-Acyltransferase; D010170:Palmitoyl-CoA Hydrolase