The Similarities and Differences between the Effects of Testosterone and DHEA on the Innate and Adaptive Immune Response.
Biomolecules
; 12(12)2022 11 27.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36551196
ABSTRACT
Androgens are steroids that modulate various processes in the body, ranging from reproduction, metabolism, and even immune response. The main androgens are testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). These steroids modulate the development and function of immune response cells. Androgens are generally attributed to immunosuppressive effects; however, this is not always the case. Variations in the concentrations of these hormones induce differences in the innate, humoral, and cell-mediated immune response, which is concentration dependent. The androgens at the highest concentration in the organism that bind to the androgen receptor (AR) are DHEA and testosterone. Therefore, in this work, we review the effects of DHEA and testosterone on the immune response. The main findings of this review are that DHEA and testosterone induce similar but also opposite effects on the immune response. Both steroids promote the activation of regulatory T cells, which suppresses the Th17-type response. However, while testosterone suppresses the inflammatory response, DHEA promotes it, and this modulation is important for understanding the involvement of androgens in infectious (bacterial, viral and parasitic) and autoimmune diseases, as well as in the sexual dimorphism that occurs in these diseases.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Testosterona
/
Desidroepiandrosterona
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Biomolecules
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
México