title: Adrenocortical hormones and interleukin patterns in paracoccidioidomycosis.
abstract: The functional status of adrenocortical hormones and their relationship to the pattern of inflammatory cytokines in paracoccidioidomycosis were investigated in a prospective study. Patients were evaluated before treatment and 1 and 6 months after receiving antifungal therapy. Interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha plasma levels, C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were significantly higher in untreated patients than in control subjects. After 6 months of treatment, levels of the 3 cytokines, CRP concentrations, and the ESR decreased significantly. Both baseline and stimulated adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol plasma levels were not different between patients and control subjects. In contrast, adrenal androgen dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) plasma levels were significantly lower in patients than in sex- and age-matched control subjects. There was a significant inverse correlation between DHEA-S and IL-6 plasma levels. This finding may be of pathogenetic significance in this disease and in other inflammatory states.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Brazil. leal10@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Angela M O
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Leal
authors.forename: Patrícia K R
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Magalhães
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.forename: Ayrton C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Moreira
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology; D000328:Adult; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D010229:Paracoccidioidomycosis / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D007375:Interleukin-1; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D006854:Hydrocortisone