Effects of exogenous dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate on various enzymes and on steroid metabolism in the guinea-pig.

Treatment of male guinea-pigs daily with an oral dose of 2 mg dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA) sulphate/100 g body weight for 2 weeks significantly reduced the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PDH) activity of erythrocytes, liver, kidney and testis. Lactate dehydrogenase activity in plasma also decreased, but L-aspartate: 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase (GOT) and L-alanine:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase (GPT) activity in plasma remained unaffected. In liver and kidney, however, a significant rise in GOT and GPT was observed. A 2- to 3-7-fold increase of C19-steroids was observed in plasma, liver and kidney. In extracts of liver and kidney more than 60% of steroids were isolated from the sulphatide fraction. Only minor changes were detected in the metabolic pattern of C19-steroids, 17-hydroxysteroids prevailing in the free and sulphatide fractions, while 17-oxosteroids predominated in the sulphate and glucuronide fractions. A slight rise of cyclic AMP concentrations in liver and kidney tissue was attributed to the inhibition of phosphodiesterase by the DHA/G-6-PDH system