Influence of surgical trauma on the mRNA expression of sex hormone receptors in PBMCs in male and female patients.
BACKGROUND
Gender-specific immune responses have been found after trauma-hemorrhage. Male and female sex hormones seem to be responsible for this gender dimorphism. Alterations in sex hormone receptor expression in mice appear to contribute to the immunomodulatory effect of sex hormones after blood loss. The effect of surgical trauma on the expression of sex hormone receptors in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients, however, remains unknown.


METHODS
PBMCs were obtained from 14 patients (7 men and 7 women) undergoing major abdominal surgery preoperatively and 2 h postoperatively. The expression of the androgen and the estrogen alpha- and beta- receptors were determined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). beta-Actin was used as housekeeping gene.


RESULTS
The results indicate that surgical trauma has no influence on the expression of the androgen receptor and the estrogen receptors alpha and beta in male and female patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The data demonstrate that, in contrast to mice, no alterations in the expression of androgen and estrogen hormone receptors were evident after surgery in patients. Thus, differences in the expression of sex hormone receptors do not appear to be responsible for the gender-specific immune response after surgery.
Brechenmacher
S A
SA
Department of Surgery, Klinikum Grosshadern, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.
Bruns
C J
CJ
Van den Engel
N K
NK
Angele
P
P
Loehe
F
F
Jauch
K-W
KW
Angele
M K
MK
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha / Q000235:genetics*; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics*; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012771:Shock, Hemorrhagic / Q000235:genetics
C410798:AR protein, human; C506487:ESR1 protein, human; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011944:Receptors, Androgen