Dehydroepiandrosterone/
dehydroepiandrostenedione (
DHEA, more correctly
didehydroepiandrosterone), also known as
androstenolone as well as
3ß-hydroxyandrost-5-en-17-one or
5-androsten-3ß-ol-17-one, is an important
endogenous steroid hormone. In its
pharmaceutical drug form it is called
prasterone (
INN). It is the most abundant circulating
steroid hormone in humans, in whom it is produced in the
adrenal glands, the
gonads, and the
brain, where it functions predominantly as a
metabolic intermediate in the
biosynthesis of the
androgen and
estrogen sex steroids. However, DHEA also has a variety of potential biological effects in its own right, binding to an array of
nuclear and
cell surface receptors, and acting as a
neurosteroid.
