Role of DHEA and Growth Factors in Chromaffin Cell Proliferation

: Dehydroepiandrostreone (DHEA) is a neuroactive steroid produced by the inner layer of the adrenal cortex close to the adrenomedullary cells. Chromaffin cell growth and proliferation are under the control of insulin‐like growth factor II (IGF‐II) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). The aim of the present study was to examine the role of DHEA on chromaffin cell proliferation induced by IGF‐II and bFGF. In our model, DHEA significantly decreased IGF‐II‐induced proliferation by 48.7%, whereas it did not affect the proliferation induced by bFGF. These data suggest that DHEA exerts a paracrine function in the control of chromaffin cell growth.