title: Correlation between testosterone and the inflammatory marker soluble interleukin-6 receptor in older men.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An age-associated decline in testosterone (T) levels and an increase in proinflammatory cytokines contribute to chronic diseases in older men. Whether and how these changes are related is unclear.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We hypothesized that T and inflammatory markers are negatively correlated in older men.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A population-based sample of older men was studied.
  
  
  METHODS
  After excluding participants taking glucocorticoids or antibiotics or those with recent hospitalization, 467 men, aged 65 yr or older, had complete determinations of total T, bioavailable T, SHBG, albumin, IL-6, soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6r), TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and C-reactive protein.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjusting for potential confounders, sIL-6r was significantly and inversely correlated with total T (r = -0.20; P < 0.001) and bioavailable T (r = -0.12; P < 0.05). T was not correlated with any other inflammatory marker.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These preliminary findings suggest an inverse relationship between T and sIL-6r. Longitudinal studies are needed to establish the causality of this association.
authors.affiliation: Longitudinal Studies Section, Clinical Research Branch, National Institute on Aging, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21225, USA.
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maggio
authors.forename: Shehzad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Basaria
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ble
authors.forename: Fulvio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lauretani
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bandinelli
authors.forename: Gian Paolo
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Ceda
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Valenti
authors.forename: Shari M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferrucci
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000097:blood*; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D019947:Receptors, Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D007375:Interleukin-1; D015850:Interleukin-6; D019947:Receptors, Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D013739:Testosterone; D002097:C-Reactive Protein