Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) hormonal supplementation can improve oocyte quality in women with diminished ovarian function. However, it is unclear whether DHEA supplementation can also enhance ovarian function during the perimenopause (i.e., when the number of follicles in the ovary has undergone a marked reduction). To address this question, we examined the impact of 2.5-months of daily 5-mg oral DHEA supplementation on the number of ovarian follicles and the concentration of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) in perimenopausal rhesus macaques. Like women, these long-lived nonhuman primates have ~ 28-day menstrual cycles and eventually undergo menopause. They also show similar age-related neuroendocrine changes, including a marked decrease in circulating concentrations of DHEA and DHEA sulfate (DHEAS). Our experimental design involved the following three groups of animals (N = 6 per group): Young adult (mean age = 11.6 years), Old control (mean age = 23.1 years), and Old DHEA-treated (mean age = 23.5 years). Histological examination of the ovaries revealed a significant age-related decrease in the mean number of primordial follicles despite DHEA supplementation. Moreover, AMH concentrations within the ovaries and circulation, assessed by Western analysis and ELISA, respectively, showed significant age-related decreases that were not attenuated by DHEA supplementation. Taken together, these results fail to show a clear effect of short-term physiological DHEA supplementation on the perimenopausal ovary. However, they do not exclude the possibility that alternative DHEA supplementation paradigms (e.g., involving an earlier start date, longer duration and using pharmacological doses) may extend reproductive potential during aging.

中文翻译：

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短期补充 DHEA 对围绝经期卵巢缺乏影响†。

脱氢表雄酮 (DHEA) 激素补充剂可以改善卵巢功能减弱的女性的卵母细胞质量。然而，尚不清楚补充 DHEA 是否也能增强围绝经期（即，当卵巢中的卵泡数量显着减少时）的卵巢功能。为了解决这个问题，我们研究了 2.5 个月每日口服 5 毫克 DHEA 补充剂对围绝经期恒河猴卵巢卵泡数量和抗苗勒管激素 (AMH) 浓度的影响。像女性一样，这些长寿的非人类灵长类动物有大约 28 天的月经周期并最终进入更年期。它们还显示出类似的与年龄相关的神经内分泌变化，包括 DHEA 和 DHEA 硫酸盐 (DHEAS) 的循环浓度显着降低。我们的实验设计涉及以下三组动物（每组 N = 6）：年轻成人（平均年龄 = 11.6 岁）、老年对照（平均年龄 = 23.1 岁）和老年 DHEA 治疗（平均年龄 = 23.5 岁） . 卵巢的组织学检查显示，尽管补充了 DHEA，但原始卵泡的平均数量仍随年龄显着下降。此外，分别通过蛋白质印迹分析和 ELISA 评估的卵巢和循环内的 AMH 浓度显示出与年龄相关的显着降低，但补充 DHEA 并未减弱。总之，这些结果未能显示短期生理性 DHEA 补充剂对围绝经期卵巢的明确影响。然而，他们不排除替代 DHEA 补充范式（例如，涉及更早的开始日期，