| Serum-SalivaCorrelation | 0.86 |
| Sensitivity | 5pg/mL |
| SampleTestVolume | 50μL |
| RecommendedCollectionVolume | 125μL* |
| SpecialConsiderations | No |
| CollectionProtocol | DownloadPDF |
Dehydroepiandrosterone(DHEA;androstenolone;3ß-hydroxy-5-androsten-17-one)isasteroidhormoneproducedprincipallyintheadrenalcortex. Inmen,itisestimatedthat10-25%ofthecirculatingDHEAissecretedbythetestes.(1) DHEAanditssulfatedanalogDHEA-Sserveprimarilyasprecursorsthatcirculatetoperipheraltissues,wheretheyareconvertedtoandrogensandestrogens.(1,2) Thisallowsandrogensandestrogenstobedeliveredtotheappropriatetissueswithoutleakageofsignificantamountsintothecirculation.(3,4,5) Inadditiontoservingasaprecursorforothersteroidhormones,DHEAisalsobelievedtohavesomephysiologicalpropertiesofitsown.Itisknowntohaveanti-glucocorticoid,anti-oxidant,anti-inflammatory,andimmunomodulatoryeffects.(1,5) Themechanismsoftheseeffectsarenotwellunderstoodandcurrentlyunderinvestigation.(5,6,7) CirculatinglevelsofDHEApeakaroundtheageof20to30,thendeclinetoonly20-30%ofpeaklevelbytheageof70to80;ithasbeenexploredasaMarkerofagingandforpossIBLeanti-agingtherapeuticuses.
Lowlevelshavebeenassociatedwitharangeofdiseases.(1,5) DHEAisalsoproducedinthebrain,whereisservesasaprotectiveneurosteroid.(8,9)
Likecortisol,DHEAsynthesisintheadrenalglandisaffectedbyHPAaxisactivityandthereleaseofACTH,andDHEAlevelsincreaseinresponsetostress.(10) Differencesinthesecretionofthetwohormonescanexist,however,andchangesintheratioofcortisoltoDHEAhavebeenobservedinconnectionwithvariousdisorders,includingdepression,psychiatricconditions, andHIVinfection.(11,12,13,14) DHEAexhibitsadiurnalrhythmsynchronizedwithcortisol,withhighestvaluesinthemorningandanADIrinthelateevening.(15)
InbloodDHEAisonlyweaklyboundtoalbuminorsexhormonebindingglobulin(SHBG).(16,17) UnboundDHEAenterssalivafrombloodviaintracellularmechanisms,andtheserum-salivacorrelationishigh.(18,19)
- Kroboth,P.D.,Salek,F.S.,Pittenger,A.L.,etal.(1999). DHEAandDHEA-S:Areview. JClinPharmacol,39(4),327-48.
- Labrie,F.(2010). DHEA,importantsourceofsexsteroidsinmenandevenmoreinwomen. ProgBrainRes,182,97-148.
- Labrie,F.,Bélanger,A.,Cusan,L.,Candas,B.(1997). Physiologicalchangesindehydroepiandrosteronearenotreflectedbyserumlevelsofactiveandrogensandestrogensbutoftheirmetabolites:Intracrinology. JClinEndocrinolMetab,82(8),2403-9.
- Labrie,F.,Luu-The,V.Bélanger,A.,etal.(2005). Isdehydroepiandrosteroneahormone?JEndocrinol,187,169-96.
- Maninger,N.,Wolkowitz,O.M.,Reus,V.I.,etal.(2009).NeuroBIOLOGicalandneuropsychiatriceffectsofdehydroepiandrosterone(DHEA)andDHEAsulfate(DHEAS). FrontNeuroendocrinol,30(1),65-91.
- Dillon,J.S.(2005). Dehydroepiandrosterone,dehydroepiandrosteronesulfateandrelatedsteroids:Theirroleininflammatory,allergicandimmunologicaldisorders. CurrDrugTargetsInflAllergy,4(3),377-85.
- Widstrom,R.,Dillon,J.S.(2004). Isthereareceptorfordehydroepiandrosteroneordehydroepiandrosteronesulfate? SeminReproMed,22(4),289-98.
- Baulieu,E.-E.,Robel,P.(1998).Dehydroepiandrosterone(DHEA)anddehydroepiandrosteronesulfate(DHEA)asneuroactiveneurosteroids. ProcNatlAcadSciUSA,95(8),4089-91.
- Charalampopoulos,I.,Alexaki,V.-I.,Tsatsanis,C.,etal.(2006).Neurosteroidsasendogenousinhibitorsofneuronalcellapoptosisinaging. AnnNYAcadSci,1088,139-52.
- Izawa,S.Sugaya,N.,Shirotsuki,K.,etal.(2008). Salivarydehydroepiandrosteronesecretioninresponsetoacutepsychosocialstressanditscorrelationswithbiologicalandpsychologicalchanges. BiolPsych,79(3),294-98.
- Goodyer,I.M.,Herbert,J.,Altham,P.M.,etal.(1996).Adrenalsecretionduringmajordepressionin8-to16-year-olds,I.Altereddiurnalrhythmsinsalivarycortisolanddehydroepiandrosterone(DHEA)atpresentation.PsycholMed,26(2),245-56.
- Young,A.H.,Gallagher,P.,Porter,R.(2002).Elevationofthecortisol-dehydroepiandrosteroneratioindrug-freedepressedpatients. AmJPsychiatry,159(7),1237-39.
- Harris,D.S.,Wolkowitz,O.M.,Reus,V.I.(2001).Movementdisorder,memory,psychiatricsymptomsandserumDHEAlevelsinschizophrienicandschizoaffectivepatients. WorldJBiolPsychiatry,2(2),99-102.
- Christeff,N.,Gherbi,N.,Mammes,O.,etal.(1997).SerumcortisolandDHEAconcentrationsduringHIVinfection. Psychoneuroendocrinology,22(Suppl.1),S11-18.
- Rosenfeld,R.S.,Rosenberg,B.J.,Fukushima,D.K.,Hellman,L.(1975). 24-Hoursecretorypatternofdehydroisoandrosteroneanddehydroisoandrosteronesulfate. JClinEndocrinolMetab,40(5),850-5.
- Longcope,C.(1995).Metabolismofdehydroepiandrosterone. AnnNYAcadSci,774,143-48.
- Simon,J.A.(2002).Estrogenreplacementtherapy:Effectontheendogenousandrogenmilieu. FertilSteril,77(Suppl4),S77-82.)
- Vining,R.F.,McGinley,R.A.,Symons,R.G.(1983).Hormonesinsaliva:Modeofentryandconsequentimplicationsforclinicalinterpretation. ClinChem,29(10),1752-56.
- Shirtcliff,E.A.,Granger,D.A.,Schwartz,E.,Curran,M.J.(2001).Useofsalivarybiomarkersinbiobehavioralresearch:Cotton-basedsamplecollectionmethodscaninterferewithsalivaryimmunoassayresults. Psychoneuroendocrinology,26(2),165-73.)
