title: Effects of Long-term Administration of the Antiaging Hormone Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate on Rat Prostates and Testes as Androgen-Dependent Organs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to determine the effects of the long-term use of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) on rat prostates and testes as well as on serum testosterone and DHEAS levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty male rats aged 4 to 5 months were studied. A DHEAS suspension of 5 mg/kg per rat was administered orally to the 15 rats in the experimental group 5 times a week, whereas saline was administered concurrently to the 15 rats in the control group. Intracardiac blood samples were drawn to determine hormone levels, and histological samples of prostate and testes were evaluated under light microscopy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the end of the 6-month study period, histological examinations performed on prostate preparations showed that the atrophy score of the experimental group was significantly lower than the scores of the sham and control groups (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). The serum total testosterone and DHEAS levels of the rats in the study group were significantly increased (p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our study, we determined that the long-term use of DHEAS does not have any detrimental effects on the prostate or the testis; on the contrary, it protects the prostate from atrophy, which is imperative for the continuation of fertility as well as for increasing serum testosterone and DHEAS levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of Cukurova Faculty of Medicine, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Cem
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sah
authors.forename: Ibrahim Atilla
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Aridogan
authors.forename: Volkan
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Izol
authors.forename: Seyda
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Erdogan
authors.forename: Saban
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Doran
keywords: Aging; Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate; Prostate; Testis