What is "dehydroepiandrosterone"

n. (context biochemistry English) An androgen hormone, secreted by the adrenal cortex; a synthetic version is used as a dietary supplement

Dehydroepiandrosterone/dehydroepiandrostenedione (DHEA, more correctly didehydroepiandrosterone), also known as androstenolone as well as 3β-hydroxyandrost-5-en-17-one or 5-androsten-3β-ol-17-one, is an endogenous steroid hormone. In its pharmaceutical drug form it is called prasterone ( INN). It is the most abundant circulating steroid hormone in humans, in whom it is produced in the adrenal glands, the gonads, and the brain, where it functions predominantly as a metabolic intermediate in the biosynthesis of the androgen and estrogen sex steroids. However, DHEA also has a variety of potential biological effects in its own right, binding to an array of nuclear and cell surface receptors, and acting as a neurosteroid.