| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Reproductive Biology Division, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218-2686
Immune function is better in females than in males of many vertebrate species, and this dimorphism has been attributed to the presence of immunosuppressive androgens in males. We investigated the influence of sex steroid hormones on immune function in male and female Siberian hamsters. Previous studies indicated that immune function was impaired in male and female hamsters housed under short-day photoperiods when androgen and estrogen concentrations were virtually undetectable. In experiment 1, animals were gonadally intact, gonadectomized (gx), or gx with hormone replacement. Females exhibited the expected increase in antibody production over males, independent of hormone treatment condition, whereas male and female gx animals exhibited decreased lymphocyte proliferation to the T cell mitogen, phytohemagglutinin (PHA) compared with intact animals, and this effect was reversed in gx hamsters following testosterone and estradiol treatment, respectively. In experiment 2, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and estradiol all enhanced cell-mediated immunity in vitro, suggesting that sex steroid hormones may be enhancing immune function through direct actions on immune cells. In experiment 3, an acute mitogen challenge of lipopolysaccharide significantly suppressed lymphocyte proliferation to PHA in intact males but not females, suggesting that males may be less reactive to a subsequent mitogenic challenge than females. Contrary to evidence in many species such as rats, mice, and humans, these data suggest that sex steroid hormones enhance immunity in both male and female Siberian hamsters.
proliferation; immunoglobulin G; lipopolysaccharide; Phodopus sungorus
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  M. A. Hillegass, J. M. Waterman, and J. D. Roth The influence of sex and sociality on parasite loads in an African ground squirrel Behav. Ecol., September 1, 2008; 19(5): 1006 - 1011. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 B. J. Prendergast, S. R. Baillie, and F. S. Dhabhar Gonadal hormone-dependent and -independent regulation of immune function by photoperiod in Siberian hamsters Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, February 1, 2008; 294(2): R384 - R392. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. A. Freeman Multiple neuroendocrine pathways mediate seasonal immunity Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, February 1, 2008; 294(2): R382 - R383. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 K. A. Lee Linking immune defenses and life history at the levels of the individual and the species Integr. Comp. Biol., December 1, 2006; 46(6): 1000 - 1015. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. Pillet, M. D'Elia, J. Bernier, J.-M. Bouquegneau, M. Fournier, and D. G. Cyr Immunomodulatory Effects of Estradiol and Cadmium in Adult Female Rats Toxicol. Sci., August 1, 2006; 92(2): 423 - 432. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
Z. M. Weil, L. M. Pyter, L. B. Martin II, and R. J. Nelson Perinatal photoperiod organizes adult immune responses in Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, June 1, 2006; 290(6): R1714 - R1719. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 P. Deviche and L. Cortez Androgen control of immunocompetence in the male house finch, Carpodacus mexicanus Muller J. Exp. Biol., April 1, 2005; 208(7): 1287 - 1295. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 B. J. Prendergast, A. K. Hotchkiss, and R. J. Nelson Photoperiodic Regulation of Circulating Leukocytes in Juvenile Siberian Hamsters: Mediation by Melatonin and Testosterone J Biol Rhythms, December 1, 2003; 18(6): 473 - 480. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| Visit Other APS Journals Online |
