Skin responses to topical dehydroepiandrosterone: implications in antiageing treatment?
BACKGROUND
Although low dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is suspected to have a role in skin ageing, little information is available on the mechanisms potentially involved.


OBJECTIVE
To obtain information on androgen receptor (AR) and procollagen expression in ageing skin during DHEA treatment.


METHODS
A placebo-controlled, randomized, prospective study was performed with 75 postmenopausal women aged 60-65 years. The women were treated twice daily for 13 weeks with 3·0 mL of placebo or 0·1%, 0·3%, 1% or 2% DHEA cream applied on the face, arms, back of hands, upper chest and right thigh where 2-mm biopsies were collected before and after treatment.


RESULTS
Although the overall structure of the epidermis was not significantly affected at the light microscopy level, AR expression examined by immunocytochemistry was markedly increased by DHEA treatment. In the dermis, the expression levels of procollagen 1 and 3 mRNA estimated by in situ hybridization were increased by DHEA treatment. In addition, the expression of heat shock protein (HSP) 47, a molecule believed to have chaperone-like functions potentially affecting procollagen biosynthesis, was also found by immunocytochemistry evaluation to be increased, especially at the two highest DHEA doses.


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest the possibility that topical DHEA could be used as an efficient and physiological antiageing skin agent.
El-Alfy
M
M
Molecular Endocrinology, Oncology and Human Genomics Research Center, Laval University Hospital Research Center (CRCHUL) and Laval University, 2705 Laurier Boulevard, Quebec City, G1V 4G2 QC, Canada.
Deloche
C
C
Azzi
L
L
Bernard
B A
BA
Bernerd
F
F
Coutet
J
J
Chaussade
V
V
Martel
C
C
Leclaire
J
J
Labrie
F
F
D000287:Administration, Topical; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003879:Dermatologic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020405:Dermis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004817:Epidermis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D050958:HSP47 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D011347:Procollagen / Q000378:metabolism; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000378:metabolism; D015595:Skin Aging / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
D003879:Dermatologic Agents; D050958:HSP47 Heat-Shock Proteins; D011347:Procollagen; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011944:Receptors, Androgen; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone