DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE REDUCES PLASMA PLASMINOGEN-ACTIVATOR INHIBITORTYPE-1 AND TISSUE-PLASMINOGEN ACTIVATOR ANTIGEN IN MEN

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) may help prevent heart disease in men. T o test the hypothesis that DHEA might exert its effects by enhancing e ndogenous fibrinolytic potential, a double-blind, placebo-controlled s tudy was conducted that assessed the effects of DHEA administration on plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) and tissue plas minogen activator (tPA) antigen. Eighteen men received 50 mg DHEA oral ly and 16 men received a placebo capsule thrice daily for 12 days, Ser um DHEA-sulfate and plasma PAI-1 and tPA antigen were measured before and after treatment, In the DHEA group, serum DHEA-sulfate (from 7.5 /- 1.2 mu mol/L to 20.2 +/- 1.5 mu mol/L (P < 0.0001), androstenedione (from 2.6 +/- 0.2 nmol/ L to 4.0 +/- 0.4 nmol/L; P < 0.005) and estro ne (from 172 +/- 21 pmol/L to 352 +/- 28 pmol/L; P < 0.005) increased, whereas plasma PAI-1 (from 55.4 +/- 3.8 ng/mL to 38.6 +/- 3.3 ng/mL; P < 0.0001) and tPA antigen (from 8.1 +/- 1.9 ng/mL to 5.4 +/- 1.3 ng/ mL; P < 0.0005) decreased. In the placebo group, serum DREA-sulfate de clined slightly from 8.0 +/- 3.3 mu mol/L to 7.3 +/- 3.4 mu mol/ L (P < 0.05), but no other measured steroid changed, Plasma PAI-1 and tPA a ntigen did not change in the placebo group. These findings suggest tha t DHEA administration reduces plasma PAI-I and tPA antigen concentrati ons in men.