Dehydroepiandrosterone prevents age-associated alterations, increasing insulin sensitivity

The age decline in DHEA levels has been associated with the appearance of age-related disorders such as obesity and insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of chronic administration (13 weeks) of DHEA (5 g/kg diet) to old female rats fed on a high-fat diet on body weight and adiposity, and concretely on the expression of the adipokines related to obesity and insulin resistance, such as leptin, adiponectin and resistin. DHEA treatment induced a decrease in body weight, adipose tissue mass and serum insulin, adiponectin and leptin levels. Adiponectin mRNA expression in visceral fat depots decreased with aging, but this reduction was attenuated by DHEA treatment. DHEA treatment also stimulated resistin gene expression in the ovaric and renal adipose depots, which is associated with an increase in its circulating levels. In conclusion, DHEA treatment decreases body weight and adiposity in old female rats fed a high-fat diet, leading to an improvement of the HOMA index for insulin sensitivity, with decreasing circulating insulin levels, and preventing the age-associated decline of visceral-adipose adiponectin expression.