We evaluated
therapeutic and preventive properties of
dehydroepiandrosterone (
DHEA), a weak androgenic
steroid, against
isoproterenol-induced
cardiomyopathy. The
cardiomyopathy was induced by daily i.p.
administration of
isoproterenol to
rats for five days. One group of
rats were given with daily s.c. for 5 days during
isoproterenol and the other group with daily s.c.
DHEA for total 10 days, including 5 days before and during
isoproterenol. The
animals were killed after each
treatment, and
cardiac muscle failure was evaluated using histopathologic examination and biochemical indices.
DHEA was found to reduce the damaged area and inhibit the elevation in the
serum levels of
glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (
SGOT),
lactate dehydrogenase (LDH),
skeletal muscle creatine kinase (CK) and
heart creatine kinase (CK-MB) induced by
isoproterenol. We also assayed widely used
oxidative stress parameters, including
thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (
TBARS),
superoxide dismutase (SOD),
catalase and glutathion peroxidase (GPx).
DHEA decreased the escalated level of
TBARS and enhanced the
anti oxidant defense reaction with an increase in
Mn-SOD and Cu/Zn-SOD. On the other
hand, the
treatment with
DHEA did not
affect catalase and GPx activity. The present study indicates that
DHEA has a
therapeutic and preventive effect against
isoproterenol-induced
cardiomyopathy and its effects may depend largely on the increase in SOD activity.