Influence of acute and subchronic oral administration of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on nociceptive threshold in rats

Background: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a neurosteroid, is known to be the most abundant hormone in the human body. Its role in the central nervous system has not been well defined. Previous studies indicate that DHEA is synthesized in the spinal cord and plays an important role in pain modulation. In the present study, we investigated the effect of DHEA on pain threshold in rats after both acute and subchronic treatment. Method: Rats were orally administered with DHEAat a dose of 10 mg/kg once daily and the pain threshold was measured with mechanical and thermal stimuli. Results: After acute treatment, DHEAexhibited pronociceptive effects which lasted up to 150 min. After subchronic administration, DHEA showed an opposite effect by elevating the pain threshold. Conclusion: The results suggest that DHEA could be indicated as a drug to improve treatment of chronic pain disorders. Copyright © 2012 by Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences.