Testosterone inhibits apoptosis of Leishmania donovani-infected macrophages.
OBJECTIVE
Investigate the effect of the male sex hormone, testosterone (Te), on apoptosis of bone marrow derived macrophages (BMMs) from female C57BL/6j mice


METHODS
Propidium iodide (PI) staining and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques were used to investigate apoptosis specific-morphological changes. BMMs derived from Te-treated mice and Oil-treated mice were challenged with Leishmania donovani (L. d.), Oligo-nucleosomal DNA were extracted 24 h post infection to detect apoptosis.


RESULTS
The removal of M-CSF from the medium could induce BMM apoptofsis. And the DNA fragmentation assay also indicated that: 1. there was no difference in the amount of apoptotic cells between Te and Oil group; 2. Te + L. d. group had significantly less dead cells than Oil + L. d. group demonstrating that Te could prevent apoptosis of macrophage infected with L. d. to a greater extent.


CONCLUSIONS
Te inhibits apoptosis of the macrophages infected with L. d., however, this inhibition did not occur in the macrophages uninfected with L. d. Te-induced macrophage apoptosis-inhibition may play an important role in Te-induced immunosuppression.
Qiao
Z
Z
Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030001.
Guo
Z
Z
Yin
G
G
Yin
L
L
Zhao
J
J
Wunderlich
F
F
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000469:parasitology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D008264:Macrophages / Q000469:parasitology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013739:Testosterone / Q000494:pharmacology*
D013739:Testosterone