Dehydroepiandrosterone and its metabolites: differential effects on androgen receptor trafficking and transcriptional activity

Sarcopenia: pharmacology of today and tomorrow

Sarcopenia remains largely undiagnosed and undertreated because of the lack of a universally accepted definition, effective ways to measure it, and identification of the outcomes that should guide treatment efficacy. An ever-growing number of clinicians and researchers along with funding and regulatory agencies have gradually recognized that sarcopenia is a human condition that requires both prevention and treatment. In this article, we review sarcopenia and its common and less known pharmacological treatments, attempt to define sarcopenia in its broader context, and present some new ideas for potential future treatment for this devastating condition.

Effects of CYP7B1-related steroids on androgen receptor activation in different cell lines

The widely expressed steroid hydroxylase CYP7B1 is involved in metabolism of a number of steroids reported to influence estrogen and androgen signaling. Several studies by us and other investigators have linked this enzyme to effects on estrogen receptor activation. In a previous report we examined the effect of CYP7B1-mediated hormone metabolism for estrogen-mediated response in kidney-derived HEK293 cells. In the current study we used an androgen response element (ARE) reporter system to examine androgen-dependent response of some CYP7B1 substrates and CYP7B1-formed metabolites in several cell lines derived from different tissues. The results indicate significantly lower androgen receptor activation by CYP7B1-formed steroid metabolites than by the corresponding steroid substrates, suggesting that CYP7B1-mediated catalysis may decrease some androgenic responses. Thus, CYP7B1-dependent metabolism may be of importance not only for estrogenic signaling but also for androgenic. This finding, that CYP7B1 activity may be a regulator of androgenic signaling by converting AR ligands into less active metabolites, is also supported by real-time RT-PCR experiment where a CYP7B1 substrate, but not the corresponding product, was able to stimulate known androgen-sensitive genes. Furthermore, our data indicate that the effects of some steroids on hormone response element reporter systems are cell line-specific. For instance, despite transfection of the same reporter systems, 5-androstene-3β,17β-diol strongly activates an androgen-dependent response element in prostate cancer cells whereas it elicits only ER-dependent responses in kidney HEK293 cells. Potential roles of cell-specific metabolism or comodulator expression for the observed differences are discussed.

Oxidative metabolism of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and biologically active oxygenated metabolites of DHEA and epiandrosterone (EpiA)--recent reports

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a multifunctional steroid with a broad range of biological effects in humans and animals. DHEA can be converted to multiple oxygenated metabolites in the brain and peripheral tissues. The mechanisms by which DHEA exerts its effects are not well understood. However, evidence that the effects of DHEA are mediated by its oxygenated metabolites has accumulated. This paper will review the panel of oxygenated DHEA metabolites (7, 16 and 17-hydroxylated derivatives) including a number of 5α-androstane derivatives, such as epiandrosterone (EpiA) metabolites. The most important aspects of the oxidative metabolism of DHEA in the liver, intestine and brain are described. Then, this article reviews the reported biological effects of oxygenated DHEA metabolites from recent findings with a specific focus on cancer, inflammatory and immune processes, osteoporosis, thermogenesis, adipogenesis, the cardiovascular system, the brain and the estrogen and androgen receptors.

Dehydroepiandrosterone improves hepatic antioxidant reserve and stimulates Akt signaling in young and old rats

This study examined, in the liver of young and old (3- and 24-month-old, respectively) healthy Wistar rats, the in vivo effect of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) (10mg/kg body weight) administered subcutaneously for 5 weeks. Reduced (GSH) and oxidized (GSSG) glutathione levels, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT) activities, hydrogen peroxide concentration, GST and p-Akt/Akt immunocontent ratio were assessed in hepatic tissue. DHEA treatment significantly increased total glutathione content (17%) and GSH (22%) in 3- and 24-month-old treated groups when compared to control groups. The aging factor increased G6PDH (51%) and GPx (22%) activities as well as the hydrogen peroxide concentration (33%), independently of treatment. DHEA treatment increased p-Akt (54%) and p-Akt/Akt ratio (36%) immunocontents in both treated groups. Increased serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in aged rats were reduced by DHEA treatment (34%).

Effects of 7-keto dehydroepiandrosterone on voluntary ethanol intake in male rats

Administration of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a neurosteroid that can negatively modulate the GABA A receptor, has been shown to decrease voluntary intake of ethanol in rats. In vivo, DHEA can be metabolized to a variety of metabolites, including 3β-acetoxyandrost-5-ene-7,17-dione (7-keto DHEA), a metabolite without the prohormonal effects of DHEA. This study compared the effectiveness of 7-keto DHEA with DHEA for reducing ethanol intake in the same group of rats. The subjects, previously trained to drink ethanol using a saccharin-fading procedure, had access to ethanol for 30 min daily and the amount consumed was recorded. Subjects were administered 10 and 56 mg/kg of DHEA or 7-keto DHEA intraperitoneally 15 min before drinking sessions. Subjects received each particular dose daily until one of two criteria was met, that is, either ethanol intake did not differ by more than 20% of the mean for 3 consecutive days or for a maximum of 8 days. Both 10 and 56 mg/kg of 7-keto DHEA significantly reduced the dose of ethanol consumed. Although 10mg/kg of 7-keto DHEA produced decreases similar to those found with DHEA, the 56-mg/kg dose of 7-keto DHEA was significantly more effective at decreasing the dose of ethanol consumed than the same dose of DHEA. These results show that 7-keto DHEA is comparable with, or possibly more effective than, DHEA at decreasing ethanol consumption in rats, and that 7-keto DHEA is a compound deserving further investigation as a possible clinical treatment for alcohol abuse without the prohormonal effects of DHEA.

The effect of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on renal function and metabolism in diabetic rats

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is an endogenous steroid hormone involved in a number of biological actions in humans and rodents, but its effects on renal tissue have not yet been fully understood. The aim of this study is to assess the effect of DHEA treatment on diabetic rats, mainly in relation to renal function and metabolism. Diabetic rats were treated with subcutaneous injections of a 10mg/kg dose of DHEA diluted in oil. Plasma glucose and creatinine, in addition to urine creatinine, were quantified espectophotometrically. Glucose uptake and oxidation were quantified using radioactive glucose, the urinary Transforming Growth Factor β(1) (TGF-β(1)) was assessed by enzyme immunoassay, and the total glutathione in the renal tissue was also measured. The diabetic rats displayed higher levels of glycemia, and DHEA treatment reduced hyperglycemia. Plasmatic creatinine levels were higher in the diabetic rats treated with DHEA, while creatinine clearance was lower. Glucose uptake and oxidation were lower in the renal medulla of the diabetic rats treated with DHEA, and urinary TGF-β(1), as well as total gluthatione levels, were higher in the diabetic rats treated with DHEA. DHEA treatment was not beneficial to renal tissue, since it reduced the glomerular filtration rate and renal medulla metabolism, while increasing the urinary excretion of TGF-β(1) and the compensatory response by the glutathione system, probably due to a mechanism involving a pro-oxidant action or a pro-fibrotic effect of this androgen or its derivatives. In conclusion, this study reports that DHEA treatment may be harmful to renal tissue, but the mechanisms of this action have not yet been fully understood.

Comparison of the effects of dietary protein, androstenediol and forearm muscle area on radial bone variables in healthy prepubertal children

Adequate dietary habits are supposed to be one of the most important modifiable factors in osteoporosis prevention. However, the importance of specific nutrients is controversial. We examined relevant nutrients which are supposed to have an impact on bone parameters and compared their effect sizes with those of two known predictors of bone development: bone-related muscle mass and androgen levels. We analysed nutritional, hormonal and anthropometric data from 107 prepubertal children participating in the Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed Study. Diaphyseal bone mineral content (BMC), cortical area (CA), periosteal circumference, strength strain index and muscle area of the non-dominant forearm were measured by peripheral quantitative computed tomography. Data on long-term nutrient intakes (e.g. protein, Ca and vitamin D) were derived from 3 d weighed dietary records. Twenty-four hour urinary excretion rates of androgen metabolites including the sex steroid androstenediol were measured using GC-MS. Of all considered nutrients, only protein showed a trend for an association with BMC (β = +0·11; P = 0·073) and CA (β = +0·11; P = 0·056) in stepwise linear regression models. None of the other considered dietary variables was associated with bone parameters. The size of the bone anabolic effect of protein was partly comparable with that of androstenediol. Even though boys gained more bone mass in comparison with girls, the protein effect did not differ between sexes. Bone-related muscle area and sex steroids have the strongest effects on prepubertal diaphyseal bone. However, dietary protein may have a similar bone anabolic influence compared with androstenediol. In children without explicit nutrient deficits, protein seems to be the most important dietary component for diaphyseal bone status.

Effect of anabolic-androgenic steroids and glucocorticoids on the kinetics of hAR and hGR nucleocytoplasmic translocation

Although the qualitative nucleocytoplasmic transport of nuclear hormone receptors (NHRs) has been studied, there is little documentation of the cellular kinetics of this transport. Here, translocation studies using the human androgen receptor (hAR) and the human glucocorticoid receptor (hGR) were performed to aid in identifying the mechanism by which anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) were activating hAR and potentially interacting with hGR and how glucocorticoid ligands were interacting with the hGR and hAR. The real-time analysis of EGFP-labeled hAR and hGR ligand-induced cytoplasm-to-nucleus translocation was performed using fluorescence microscopy to better understand the action of these NHRs in a physiologically relevant cell-based model. After transient transfection, the hAR and hGR individually translocate as expected (i.e., transport is ligand-induced and dose-dependent) in this model biological system. Testosterone (TEST) had the fastest translocation rate for the hAR of 0.0525 min(-1). The other endogenous steroids, androstenedione (ANE) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT), had considerably lower hAR transport rates. The rates of hAR transport for the exogenous steroids methyltrienelone (MET), nandrolone (NAN), and oxandrolone (OXA) are lower than that of testosterone and similar to those of the endogenous steroids ANE and DHT. The hGR transport rates for cortisol (COR) and dexamethasone (DEX) are also presented. The synthetic GC, DEX, had a more rapid translocation rate (0.1599 min(-1)) at the highest dose of 100 nM compared to the endogenous GC COR (0.0431 min(-1)). The data obtained agrees with the existing qualitative data and adds an important ligand-dependent kinetic component to hAR and hGR transport. These kinetic data can aid our understanding of NHR action and interaction with other regulatory proteins, and can be useful in the development of new therapies.

The effects of DHEA, 3beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androstane-6,17-dione, and 7-amino-DHEA analogues on short term and long term memory in the mouse

Neurosteroids have been reported to modulate memory processes in rodents. Three analogues of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), two of them previously described (7beta-aminoDHEA and 7beta-amino-17-ethylenedioxy-DHEA), and a new one (3beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androstane-6,17-dione) were synthesized, and their effects were evaluated on memory. This study examined their effects on long term and short term memory in male (6 weeks old) NMRI mice in comparison with the reference drug. Long term memory was assessed using the passive avoidance task and short term memory (spatial working memory) using the spontaneous alternation task in a Y maze. Moreover, the effects of DHEA and its analogues on spontaneous locomotion were measured. In all tests, DHEA and analogues were injected at three equimolar doses (0.300-1.350-6.075 microM/kg). DHEA and its three analogues administered immediately post-training at the highest doses (6.075 microM/kg, s.c.) improved retention in passive avoidance test. Without effect per se in the spatial working memory task, the four compounds failed to reverse scopolamine (1mg/kg, i.p.)-induced deficit in spontaneous alternation. These data suggested an action of DHEA and analogues in consolidation of long term memory particularly when emotional components are implied. Moreover, data indicated that pharmacological modulation of DHEA as performed in this study provides derivatives giving the same mnemonic profile than reference molecule.

Genome-wide analysis of DHEA- and DHT-induced gene expression in mouse hypothalamus and hippocampus

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is the most abundant steroid in humans and a multi-functional neuroactive steroid that has been implicated in a variety of biological effects in both the periphery and central nervous system. Mechanistic studies of DHEA in the periphery have emphasized its role as a prohormone and those in the brain have focused on effects exerted at cell surface receptors. Recent results demonstrated that DHEA is intrinsically androgenic. It competes with DHT for binding to androgen receptor (AR), induces AR-regulated reporter gene expression in vitro, and exogenous DHEA administration regulates gene expression in peripheral androgen-dependent tissues and LnCAP prostate cancer cells, indicating genomic effects and adding a level of complexity to functional models. The absence of information about the effect of DHEA on gene expression in the CNS is a significant gap in light of continuing clinical interest in the compound as a hormone replacement therapy in older individuals, patients with adrenal insufficiency, and as a treatment that improves sense of well-being, increases libido, relieves depressive symptoms, and serves as a neuroprotective agent. In the present study, ovariectomized CF-1 female mice, an established model for assessing CNS effects of androgens, were treated with DHEA (1mg/day), dihydrotestosterone (DHT, a potent androgen used as a positive control; 0.1mg/day) or vehicle (negative control) for 7 days. The effects of DHEA on gene expression were assessed in two regions of the CNS that are enriched in AR, hypothalamus and hippocampus, using DNA microarray, real-time RT-PCR, and immunohistochemistry. RIA of serum samples assessed treatment effects on circulating levels of major steroids. In hypothalamus, DHEA and DHT significantly up-regulated the gene expression of hypocretin (Hcrt; also called orexin), pro-melanin-concentrating hormone (Pmch), and protein kinase C delta (Prkcd), and down-regulated the expression of deleted in bladder cancer chromosome region candidate 1 (Dbccr1) and chitinase 3-like 3 (Chi3l3). Two-step real-time RT-PCR confirmed changes in the expression of three genes (Pmch, Hcrt and Prkcd) using the same RNA sample employed in the microarray experiment. Immunohistochemistry showed augmentation of prepro-hypocretin (pHcrt) neuropeptide protein expression by DHEA and DHT in hypothalamus, consistent with the localization of orexin neurons. In hippocampus, DHT down-regulated the expression of Prkcd, while DHEA did not have significant effects. RIA results supported the view that DHEA-induced effects were mediated through AR. The current study identified neurogenomic effects of DHEA treatment on a subset of genes directly implicated in the regulation of appetite, energy utilization, alertness, apoptosis, and cell survival. These changes in gene expression in the CNS represent a constellation of effects that may help explain the diverse benefits attributed to replacement therapy with DHEA. The data also provide a new level of detail regarding the genomic mechanism of action of DHEA in the CNS and strongly support a central role for the androgen receptor in the production of these effects. More broadly, the results may be clinically significant because they provide new insights into processes that appear to mediate the diverse CNS effects attributed to DHEA.

Prepubertal healthy children's urinary androstenediol predicts diaphyseal bone strength in late puberty

CONTEXT

During the physiological process of adrenarche, the adrenal glands of healthy children secrete increasing amounts of weak androgenic steroids partly metabolized to potent sex steroids.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to examine whether adrenal androgen metabolite excretion rates before the onset of puberty may be prospectively associated with late-pubertal diaphyseal bone strength.

SETTING

We conducted the study in an auxological and metabolic child nutrition research facility.

STUDY POPULATION AND DESIGN

The sample included 45 healthy adolescents who underwent proximal forearm bone and muscle area measurements by peripheral quantitative computed tomography at the age of 16 yr (SD 1.5) and who had collected a 24-h urine sample 8 yr earlier, allowing to quantify the prepubertal urine metabolome. Prepubertal hormonal predictors quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were: dehydroepiandrosterone, its 16-hydroxylated downstream metabolites, 5-androstene-3beta,17beta-diol (androstenediol), sums of total androgen and glucocorticoid metabolites, cortisol, and 6beta-hydroxycortisol.

MAIN OUTCOMES

Proximal forearm radius was measured.

RESULTS

Of all prepubertal hormones analyzed, only sex- and age-specific androstenediol levels significantly predicted pubertal stage-, height-, and muscularity-adjusted diaphyseal bone modeling (periosteal circumference, beta = 0.67, P = 0.002; cortical area, beta = 2.15, P = 0.02), bone mineral content (beta = 2.2; P = 0.04), and polar strength strain index (beta = 12.2; P = 0.002). Androstenediol explained 5-10% of the late-pubertal diaphyseal radius variability.

CONCLUSIONS

Our prospective profiling of urinary steroid metabolites in 24-h urine samples collected before puberty suggests that androstenediol is an early predictor of the diaphyseal bone strength in late puberty. This predominantly peripheral conversion product of adrenarchal dehydroepiandrosterone by 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase may hence be involved in a sustained improvement of radial bone accretion during growth.

Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of DHEA, pregnenolone, and androstenedione by Penicillium lilacinum AM111

The Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenase (BVMO) produced by Penicillium lilacinum AM111, in contrast to other enzymes of this group known in the literature, is able to process 3beta-hydroxy-5-ene steroid substrates. Transformation of DHEA and pregnenolone yielded, as a sole or main product, 3beta-hydroxy-17a-oxa-d-homo-androst-5-en-17-one, a new metabolite of these substrates; pregnenolone was transformed also to testololactone. Testololactone was the only product of oxidation of androstenedione by P. lilacinum AM111. Investigations of the time evolution of reaction progress have indicated that the substrates stimulate activity of BVMO(s) of P. lilacinum AM111.

Sulfotransferase 2B1b in human breast: differences in subcellular localization in African American and Caucasian women

Breast cancer (BC) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women; however, the development of post-menopausal BC is significantly lower in African Americans as compared to Caucasians. Hormonal stimulation is important in BC development and differences in the conversion of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) into estrogens may be involved in the lower incidence of post-menopausal BC in African American women. DHEA sulfation by sulfotransferase 2B1b (SULT2B1b) is important in regulating the conversion of DHEA into estrogens in tissues. SULT2B1b is localized in both cytosol and nuclei of some tissues including cancerous and associated-normal breast tissue. Immunohistochemical staining was used to evaluate the total expression and subcellular localization of SULT2B1b in African American and Caucasian breast tissues. Cell fractionation, immunoblot analysis and sulfation assays were used to characterize the subcellular expression and activity of SULT2B1b in BC tissues and T-47D breast adenocarcinoma cells. Immunohistochemical analysis of SULT2B1b showed that African Americans had a significantly greater amount of SULT2B1b in epithelial cells of associated-normal breast tissue as compared to Caucasians. Also, more SULT2B1b in African American associated-normal breast epithelial cells was localized in the nuclei than in Caucasians. Equivalent levels of SULT2B1b were detected in breast adenocarcinoma tissues from both African American and Caucasian women. Nuclei isolation and immunoblot analysis of both BC tissue and human T-47D breast adenocarcinoma cells demonstrated that SULT2B1b is present in nuclei and cytoplasm.

Effects of alpha/beta-androstenediol immune regulating hormones on bone remodeling and apoptosis in osteoblasts

A large body of evidence suggests that the immune system directly impacts bone physiology. We tested whether immune regulating hormones (IRH), 17beta-androstenediol (beta-AED), 7beta,17beta-androstenetriol (beta-AET) or the 17alpha-androstenediol (alpha-AED), and 7alpha,17beta-androstenetriol (alpha-AET) metabolites could directly influence bone remodeling in vitro using human fetal osteoblasts (FOB-9). The impact on bone remodeling was examined by comparing the ratio of RANKL/OPG gene expression in response to AED and AET compounds. The alpha-AED was found to significantly increase in the ratio of RANKL/OPG gene expression and altering the morphology of RANKL stained FOB-9 cells. Cell viability was assessed using a Live/Dead assay. Again alpha-AED was unique in its ability to reduce the proportion of viable cells, and to induce mild apoptosis of FOB-9 cells. Treatment of FOB-9 cells with WY14643, an activator of PPAR-alpha and -gamma, also significantly elevated the percentage of dead cells. This increase was abolished by co-treatment with GW9962, a specific inhibitor of PPAR-gamma. Analysis of PPAR-gamma mRNA by Quantitative RT-PCR and its activation by DNA binding demonstrated that alpha-AED increased PPAR-gamma activation by 19%, while beta-AED conferred a 37% decrease in PPAR-gamma activation. In conclusion, alpha-AED opposed beta-AED by elevating a bone resorption scenario in osteoblast cells. The increase in RANKL/OPG is modulated by an activation of PPAR-gamma that in turn caused mild apoptosis of FOB-9 cells.

Dehydroepiandrosterone up-regulates the Adrenoleukodystrophy-related gene (ABCD2) independently of PPARα in rodents

X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by mutations in the ABCD1 gene, which encodes a peroxisomal ABC transporter, ALDP, supposed to participate in the transport of very long chain fatty acids (VLCFA). The adrenoleukodystrophy-related protein (ALDRP), which is encoded by the ABCD2 gene, is the closest homolog of ALDP and is considered as a potential therapeutic target since functional redundancy has been demonstrated between the two proteins. Pharmacological induction of Abcd2 by fibrates through the activation of PPARalpha has been demonstrated in rodent liver. DHEA, the most abundant steroid in human, is described as a PPARalpha activator and also as a prohormone able to mediate induction of several genes. Here, we explored the in vitro and in vivo effects of DHEA on the expression of peroxisomal ABC transporters. We show that Abcd2 and Abcd3 but not Abcd4 are induced in primary culture of rat hepatocytes by DHEA-S. We also demonstrate that Abcd2 and Abcd3 but not Abcd4 are inducible by an 11-day treatment with DHEA in the liver of male rodents but not in brain, testes and adrenals. Finally and contrary to Abcd3, we show that the mechanism of induction of Abcd2 is independent of PPARalpha.

Inhibition of SULT2B1b expression alters effects of 3beta-hydroxysteroids on cell proliferation and steroid hormone receptor expression in human LNCaP prostate cancer cells

BACKGROUND

Sulfation is an important steroid inactivation in human tissues. Sulfotransferase (SULT) 2B1b selectively conjugates 3beta-hydroxysteroids and is expressed in epithelial cells of normal and cancerous prostate tissues. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and Delta(5)-androstenediol (Delta(5)-Adiol) sulfation prevents their conversion to more potent androgens and estrogens in tissues although both compounds may also be biologically active.

METHODS

SULT2B1b expression and activity were inhibited >85% in human LNCaP prostate adenocarcinoma cells using short interference RNA (siRNA). The effects of treating control and SULT2B1b-deficient LNCaP cells with DHEA, Delta(5)-Adiol, and 5alpha-androstane-3beta-17beta-diol (Anstane-diol) on cellular proliferation, estrogen receptors (ERs), androgen receptor (AR), and prostate specific antigen protein levels were examined.

RESULTS

Physiological concentrations of DHEA and Delta(5)-Adiol increased proliferation of control cells and the proliferative effects were significantly increased in SULT2B1b-siRNA cells. DHEA, but not Delta(5)-Adiol increased AR levels at concentrations >/=1,000 nM in SULT2B1b-siRNA cells but not in control LNCaP cells. ER-alpha levels were not affected with any of the compounds tested. Physiological concentrations of DHEA and Delta(5)-A-diol decreased ER-beta levels in control cells and had significantly greater effects in SULT2B1b-siRNA cells. In contrast, Anstane-diol had no effect on AR or ER-alpha levels but induced more elevation of ER-beta levels in SULT2B1b-siRNA cells at concentrations >/=1,000 nM.

CONCLUSIONS

SULT2B1b is involved in regulating prostate cell responsiveness to DHEA and Delta(5)-Adiol. Inhibition of SULT2B1b increased cell proliferation and ER-beta repression after treatment with physiological levels of DHEA and Delta(5)-Adiol indicating that SULT2B1b has an inhibitory effect on DHEA and Delta(5)-Adiol activity.

First synthesis of 7α- and 7β-amino-DHEA, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) analogues and preliminary evaluation of their cytotoxicity on Leydig cells and TM4 Sertoli cells

Efficient syntheses of new DHEA analogues, and their apoptotic and necrotic effects on Leydig cells and TM4 Sertoli cells are described. The key step in the synthetic strategy of 7-amino-DHEA derivatives involves a bromination on C-7 position to give an epimeric mixture of bromides which were substituted by azides and reduced to give 7alpha- and 7beta-amino-3beta-hydroxyandrost-5-en-17-ones. No cytotoxic effect induced by apoptosis mechanism was observed on Leydig and TM4 Sertoli cells by treatment with these amino-DHEA analogues. A necrotic effect was induced only in TM4 Sertoli cells. The best activity was obtained with 7alpha,beta-amino-androst-5-en-3beta-ol and 7beta-amino-3beta-hydroxy-androst-5-en-17-one.