title: Administration of dehydroepiandrosterone to burned mice preserves normal immunologic competence.
abstract: Burned individuals display a reduced ability to elicit cellular and humoral immune responses and a depression in the vitro production of certain T-cell lymphokines. Treatment of burned mice with 100 micrograms of dehydroepiandrosterone within 1 hour after injury resulted in preserving a completely normal capacity to produce T-cell-derived lymphokines and to generate cellular immune responses. In addition, dehydroepiandrosterone-treated thermally injured mice demonstrated an above-normal ability to resist an induced infection with the intracellular pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes. Dehydroepiandrosterone-treated animals also did not exhibit the sustained plasma levels of interleukin 6 that normally accompany thermal injury and infection. Because of its antiglucocorticoid effects and positive immunoregulatory influences, we believe dehydroepiandrosterone to be a beneficial form of therapy for thermally injured individuals.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cell Biology and Immunology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City 84132.
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Araneo
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shelby
authors.forename: G Z
authors.initials: GZ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ku
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Daynes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002056:Burns / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003877:Dermatitis, Contact / Q000276:immunology; D004139:Dinitrofluorobenzene / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007121:Immunocompetence; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007377:Interleukin-3 / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008088:Listeriosis / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D007377:Interleukin-3; D015848:Interleukin-5; D015850:Interleukin-6; D008222:Lymphokines; D015847:Interleukin-4; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; D004139:Dinitrofluorobenzene