Abstract

Evidence has been accumulating that 7-hydroxyepimers of dehydroepiandrosterone may act as locally active immunomodulatory and immunoprotective agents, counteracting the actions of glucocorticoids. 7α- and 7β-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, 7α- and 7β-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 7α-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.