Abstract:

This study aimed to investigate the effects of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on routine biochemical indicators
and the expression levels of lipid metabolism-related genes. A total of 60 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) male rats were
randomly divided into 4 groups: control group (0 mg/(kg·d) DHEA), low-dose group (25 mg/(kg·d) DHEA), moderate-dose
group (50 mg/(kg·d) DHEA) and high-dose group (100 mg/(kg·d) DHEA). The results showed that DHEA significantly
decreased body weight in moderate-dose group when compared with control group (P < 0.05). The levels of serum
triacylglycerol and glucose were highly significantly decreased in moderate-dose group (P < 0.01). The level of high-density
lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was significantly increased in high-dose group (P < 0.05). The results of quantitative realtime
polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) showed that mRNA expression level of fatty acid synthase (FAS) was significantly
decreased in moderate-dose group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) when compared with control group. The mRNA expression levels
of sterol regulatory element binding protein-1 (SREBP-1) and hepatocyte nuclear factor-4 (HNF-4) were significantly
decreased in all the DHEA groups (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). However, the mRNA expression level of acetyl coenzyme A
carboxylase (ACC) was not significantly changed (P > 0.05). As for the adipolysis-related genes, the mRNA expression
levels of acyl coenzyme A oxidase (ACO) were significantly decreased in all the DHEA groups (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).
The mRNA expression levels of carnitine palmitoyl transterase-1 (LCPT-1) and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-α
(PPARα) were significantly decreased in both low- and high-dose groups (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The mRNA expression levels of
adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) were significantly decreased in both moderate- and high-dose groups (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). These
findings indicate that DHEA affects the key factors affecting lipid metabolism, resulting in decreased fat deposition in male rats.

Key words: dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), lipid metabolism, mRNA