Estrogen pretreatment protects males against hypoxia-induced immune depression.
Hypoxemia depresses cell-mediated immune functions in males, whereas proestrous females do not show such a depression. We hypothesized that elevated systemic estradiol levels in proestrous females prevent hypoxemia-induced immune depression. To study this hypothesis, male C3H/HeN mice were pretreated with 17 beta-estradiol (E(2), 40 microg/kg body wt sc) or vehicle for 3 days before induction of hypoxemia and again immediately before induction of hypoxia. The mice were subjected to hypoxemia (95% N(2)-5% O(2)) or sham hypoxemia (room air) for 60 min, and plasma and spleen cells were collected 2 h later. In vehicle-treated mice, splenocyte proliferation and interleukin-2 and interleukin-3 production were depressed after hypoxemia. E(2)-pretreated animals, however, displayed no such depression in splenic T cell parameters after hypoxemia. Splenic macrophage cytokine production was also depressed in vehicle-treated mice subjected to hypoxia, whereas it was normal in E(2)-pretreated mice. In summary, these findings indicate that administration of E(2) before hypoxemia prevented the depression of cell-mediated immune functions. Thus administration of 17 beta-estradiol in high-risk patients before major surgery might decrease hypoxemia-induced immune depression under those conditions.
Knöferl
Markus W
MW
Center for Surgical Research and Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, USA.
Schwacha
Martin G
MG
Jarrar
Doraid
D
Angele
Martin K
MK
Fragoza
Keith
K
Bland
Kirby I
KI
Chaudry
Irshad H
IH
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007107:Immune System / Q000502:physiology*; D007378:Interleukins / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D011897:Random Allocation; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology
D007378:Interleukins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D003208:Concanavalin A; D004958:Estradiol; D015232:Dinoprostone