Both endogenous and exogenous testosterone decrease myocardial STAT3 activation and SOCS3 expression after acute ischemia and reperfusion.
BACKGROUND
Signal transducer and activator of transduction 3 (STAT3) pathway has been shown to be cardioprotective. We observed decreased STAT3/suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) in male hearts, which was associated with worse postischemic myocardial function compared with females. However, it is unclear whether this downregulation of myocardial STAT3/SOCS3 is due to testosterone in males. We hypothesized that after ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), (1) endogenous testosterone decreases myocardial STAT3 and SOCS3 in males, and (2) administration of exogenous testosterone reduces myocardial STAT3/SOCS3 in female and castrated male hearts.


METHODS
To study this, hearts from I/R injury (Langendorff) were homogenized and assessed for phosphorylated-STAT3 (p-STAT3), total-STAT3 (T-STAT3), SOCS3, and GAPDH by Western blot. We grouped age-matched adult males, females, castrated males, males with androgen receptor blocker-flutamide implantation, females, and castrated males with chronic (3-week) 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) release pellet implantation or acute (5-minute) testosterone infusion (ATI) before ischemia (n = 5-9 per group).


RESULTS
Castration or flutamide treatment significantly increased SOCS3 expression in male hearts after I/R. However, only castration increased myocardial STAT3 activation. Notably, DHT replacement or ATI decreased markedly myocardial STAT3/SOCS3 in castrated males and females subjected to I/R.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that endogenous and exogenous testosterone decrease myocardial STAT3 activation and SOCS3 expression after I/R. This represents the initial demonstration of testosterone-downregulated STAT3/SOCS3 signaling in myocardium.
Wang
Meijing
M
Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
Wang
Yue
Y
Abarbanell
Aaron
A
Tan
Jiangjing
J
Weil
Brent
B
Herrmann
Jeremy
J
Meldrum
Daniel R
DR
D000726:Androgen Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002369:Castration; D015536:Down-Regulation; D005260:Female; D005485:Flutamide / Q000494:pharmacology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D015428:Myocardial Reperfusion Injury / Q000378:metabolism*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D015398:Signal Transduction; D000071223:Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 3 Protein; D050826:Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000502:physiology
D000726:Androgen Antagonists; C106644:SOCS3 protein, human; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; D000071223:Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 3 Protein; D050826:Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling Proteins; D013739:Testosterone; D005485:Flutamide