MINIREVIEW 7-HYDROXYLATED DERIVATIVES OF DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE: WHAT ARE THEY GOOD FOR?

In the late fifties and early sixties our group has found that 3beta,7alpha-dihydroxy-5-androsten-17-one (7alpha-hydroxy-dehydroepiandrosterone) is a natural constituent of human body fluids. Later, the enzyme activity responsible for its formation has been demonstrated in many animal and human tissues including the foetal ones. The physiological role of this and related steroids has not been understood well for decades. As late as in 1994 Morfin and his group have shown that 7alpha-hydroxy-dehydroepiandrosterone may be a locally active metabolite, responsible for recently discovered immunostimulatory or immunomodulatory effects of dehydroepiandrosterone.