A synthetic androstene analogue inhibits collagen-induced arthritis in the mouse.
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a precursor of immune-regulating hormones (IRH) including the androstenes, has attracted much interest over the last several decades because of its many antiaging, metabolic, and immune modulating effects. 5-Androstene-16alpha fluoro-17-one (fluasterone, also known as HE2500) is a synthetic androstene analogue that retains anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, and immune-regulating activities of the parent molecule, but is nontoxic and practically devoid of androgenic or estrogenic side effects. In the present studies, we tested the ability of fluasterone to limit disease in the DBA mouse model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). We found that mice receiving injections of fluasterone displayed significant delay in onset, decrease in CIA peak score, and significant decrease of the daily mean clinical score. Benefit was associated with significant decreases in (1). bovine type II collagen (bCII)-specific IgG(1) and IgG(2a) antibody levels in serum; (2). production of TNF-alpha, IL-6, IFN-gamma, but not IL-10; (3). lymphocyte proliferative response to bCII protein; and (4). joint inflammation, erosion, and synovial proliferation as judged by histological analysis. This is the first study to report that an IRH can ameliorate ongoing disease in a CIA mouse model with relevance to RA and to correlate that finding with decreases in pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Neuroimmunology Research, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Portland, OR 97239, USA. offnerva@ohsu.edu
Halina
H
Offner
Alex
A
Zamora
Sandhya
S
Subramanian
Magdalena
M
Polanczyk
Aric
A
Krogstad
Dominick L
DL
Auci
Elizabeth E
EE
Morgan
Christopher L
CL
Reading
D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001169:Arthritis, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D016207:Cytokines; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; C106219:5-androstene-16-fluoro-17-one