[3][1][4][5][6] It is described as a neurosteroid and anti-inflammatory drug and was used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and soft-tissue rheumatism in the 1950s and is no longer prescribed today, but remains available as a supplement.

[3][2] Pregnenolone is promoted online with false claims that it can treat a variety of health conditions including cancer, arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

[4] Pregnenolone acetate was available as Enelone in the form of 100 mg oral tablets and as a 100 mg/mL crystalline aqueous suspension in 10 mL vials.

[13] In contrast to the androstanes, 50 or 100 mg oral pregnenolone has been found to significantly and in fact "strongly" increase urinary levels of the progesterone metabolites pregnanediol and pregnanolone (and/or their conjugates), whereas pregnanetriol was unaffected.

[5] Sripada et al. reported that oral pregnenolone is preferentially metabolized into the neurosteroid allopregnanolone rather than into other steroids such as DHEA or cortisol.

[15] Another study found that allopregnanolone levels were increased by 3-fold at 2 hours post-administration following a single 400 mg oral dose of pregnenolone.

[7] As of 2016[update] pregnenolone is being researched for possible therapeutic applications, but its poor bioavailability makes its prospects for usefulness low.