title: The effect of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on renal function and metabolism in diabetic rats.
abstract: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is an endogenous steroid hormone involved in a number of biological actions in humans and rodents, but its effects on renal tissue have not yet been fully understood. The aim of this study is to assess the effect of DHEA treatment on diabetic rats, mainly in relation to renal function and metabolism. Diabetic rats were treated with subcutaneous injections of a 10mg/kg dose of DHEA diluted in oil. Plasma glucose and creatinine, in addition to urine creatinine, were quantified espectophotometrically. Glucose uptake and oxidation were quantified using radioactive glucose, the urinary Transforming Growth Factor β(1) (TGF-β(1)) was assessed by enzyme immunoassay, and the total glutathione in the renal tissue was also measured. The diabetic rats displayed higher levels of glycemia, and DHEA treatment reduced hyperglycemia. Plasmatic creatinine levels were higher in the diabetic rats treated with DHEA, while creatinine clearance was lower. Glucose uptake and oxidation were lower in the renal medulla of the diabetic rats treated with DHEA, and urinary TGF-β(1), as well as total gluthatione levels, were higher in the diabetic rats treated with DHEA. DHEA treatment was not beneficial to renal tissue, since it reduced the glomerular filtration rate and renal medulla metabolism, while increasing the urinary excretion of TGF-β(1) and the compensatory response by the glutathione system, probably due to a mechanism involving a pro-oxidant action or a pro-fibrotic effect of this androgen or its derivatives. In conclusion, this study reports that DHEA treatment may be harmful to renal tissue, but the mechanisms of this action have not yet been fully understood.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Metabolismo e Endocrinologia Comparada, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Sarmento Leite, 500, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul CEP 90050-170, Brazil. matheusjahn@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Matheus Parmegiani
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Jahn
authors.forename: Luana Ferreira
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: Maria Helena Vianna Metello
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Jacob
authors.forename: Daiane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: da Rocha Janner
authors.forename: Alex Sander da Rosa
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.forename: Adriane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Belló-Klein
authors.forename: Maria Flávia Marques
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Luiz Carlos
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Kucharski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate / Q000187:drug effects*; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D003404:Creatinine; D005978:Glutathione; D005947:Glucose