title: 7-hydroxylated derivatives of dehydroepiandrosterone as possibly related to menstrual mood change in healthy women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Mood changes occur often in the luteal phase of menstrual cycle. Steroids modulating GABAA and NAMD receptors in the brain, namely allopregnanolone, were suggested as a factor of premenstrual syndrome. Another neurosteroid influencing the well-being is dehydroepiandrosterone. In the past decade it was shown by several authors that some dehydroepiandrosterone derivatives, especially those with 7-hydroxy- or 7-oxo group, exert a higher activity than dehydroepiandrosterone itself. It was also reasonable to see whether the levels of circulating 7-hydroxy-derivatives of dehydroepiandrosterone differ in the follicular and luteal phase of the menstrual cycle.
  
  
  METHODS
  Steroids known to exert neuroprotective effects, namely 7α- and 7β-hydroxy-dehydroepiandrosterone, 5-androstene-3β,7α,17β-triol and 5-androstene-3β,7β,17β-triol, were determined in midfollicular and midluteal phase of the menstrual cycle of 22 healthy women with a regular menstruation cycle.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Whereas the maternal steroids, dehydroepiandrosterone and androstene-3β,17β-diol showed no significant difference between the phases of menstrual cycle, the levels of their 7-hydroxylated metabolites were significantly lower in the luteal phase.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is suggested that the observed decrease of 7-hydroxylated metabolites during the luteal phase may be a factor related to the etiopathogenesis of mood change and neurocognitive disturbances, which are known to be more accented in that particular phase of the menstrual cycle.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Endocrinology, Prague, Czech Republic. mduskova@endo.cz
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Duskova
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Simunkova
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Starka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005498:Follicular Phase / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D006900:Hydroxylation; D016014:Linear Models; D008183:Luteal Phase / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; C003587:7-hydroxydehydroepiandrosterone