title: Plasma levels of 7-hydroxymetabolites of dehydroepiandrosterone in healthy Central European aging men.
abstract: Evidence has been accumulating that 7-hydroxyepimers of dehydroepiandrosterone may act as locally active immunomodulatory and immunoprotective agents, counteracting the actions of glucocorticoids. 7Alpha- and 7beta-hydroxylated metabolites of dehydroepiandrosterone are present in near nanomolar concentrations in human blood. Limited data have been available on its changes during the last decades of human life. We examined 213 healthy Central European males in age groups from 50 to 91 years and determined both 7-hydroxyepimers, 7alpha- and 7beta-hydroxy-dehydroepiandrosterone, in sera using specific radioimmunoassays. The age dependence of steroid levels was evaluated using one-way ANOVA. In men, a distinct decline in 7alpha-hydroxy-dehydroepiandrosterone with age was observed. The curves for age dependence of 7-hydroxy metabolite levels in males resembled those previously determined for unconjugated dehydroepiandrosterone. The levels of both 7-hydroxylated epimers correlated excellently with each other.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Endocrinology, Praha, Czech Republic. lstarka@endo.cz
authors.forename: Luboslav
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Stárka
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hampl
authors.forename: Miroslav
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hanus
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matousková
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hill
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone