Dehydroepiandrosterone increased oxidative stress in a human cell line during differentiation

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a reversible inhibitor of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), is increasingly taken as an antioxidative and anti-ageing supplement. This study investigated the effects of DHEA on the expression of G6PD and on the state of oxidative stress in a human promyelocytic leukaemia cell line, HL60, during the differentiation to neutrophil-like cell. This study differentiated HL60 with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in the presence (DMSO-HL60/DHEA) or absence (DMSO-HL60) of DHEA. During the differentiation, activity, mRNA and protein levels of G6PD were increased. DHEA increased these levels further. DHEA by itself suppressed the production of superoxide from DMSO-HL60 upon stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). However, DMSO-HL60/DHEA stimulated with PMA in the absence of DHEA produced superoxide and 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine more than PMA-stimulated DMSO-HL60. After addition of H2O2, the ratio of reduced glutathione to oxidized glutathione was lower in DMSO-HL60/DHEA than in DMSO-HL60. These findings indicate that DHEA acts both as an antioxidant and as a pro-oxidant.