Inverse relationship between serum levels of interleukin-1beta and testosterone in men with stable coronary artery disease.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between serum levels of inflammatory cytokines and testosterone in men with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). Evidence supports a beneficial effect of testosterone upon objective measures of myocardial ischaemia in men with CAD, and in animal models of atherosclerosis. Inflammatory cytokines are involved in many stages of the atherosclerotic process, however, the effect of testosterone upon inflammatory cytokines within the cardiovascular system is largely unknown.


METHODS
Serum was collected from 69 men (59+/-1 years) having >75% occlusion of 1, 2, or 3 coronary arteries. Levels of total testosterone (TT), bioavailable testosterone (BT), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha), interleukin (IL)-1-beta (IL-1beta), IL-6 and IL-10 were measured and analysis made between men with 1, 2, or 3 vessel CAD, and between men with hypogonadal, borderline hypogonadal and eugonadal serum levels of testosterone.


RESULTS
In patients with 1, 2, or 3 vessel CAD, significant stepwise increases were observed in levels of IL-1beta: 0.16+/-0.03, 0.22+/-0.06, and 0.41+/-0.08 pg/ml (p=0.035), and IL-10: 0.93+/-0.11, 1.17+/-0.14, and 2.94+/-0.65 pg/ml (p=0.008). A significant stepwise increase in levels of IL-1beta was also observed in eugonadal, borderline hypogonadal, and hypogonadal men: 0.19+/-0.05, 0.29+/-0.05, and 0.46+/-0.13 pg/ml (p=0.047).


CONCLUSIONS
Consequently this data implicates IL-1beta and IL-10 in the pathogenesis of CAD and suggests that testosterone may regulate IL-1beta activity in men with CAD.
Nettleship
J E
JE
Hormone & Vascular Biology Group, Academic Unit of Diabetes Endocrinology & Metabolism, The University of Sheffield Medical School, Sheffield, UK.
Pugh
P J
PJ
Channer
K S
KS
Jones
T
T
Jones
R D
RD
D000368:Aged; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007006:Hypogonadism / Q000097:blood; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000097:blood*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood
D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10; D013739:Testosterone