Estren promotes androgen phenotypes in primary lymphoid organs and submandibular glands

• BACKGROUND: Estrogens and androgens have extensive effects on the immune system, for example they suppress both T and B lymphopoiesis in thymus and bone marrow. Submandibular glands are sexually dimorphic in rodents, resulting in larger granular convoluted tubules in males compared to females. The aim of the present experiments was to investigate the estrogenic and androgenic effects of 4-estren-3alpha,17beta-diol (estren) on thymus, bone marrow and submandibular glands, and compare the effects to those of 17beta-estradiol (E2) and 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), respectively. Estrogen receptors (ERs) were blocked by treatment of mice with the ER-antagonist ICI 182,780; also, knock-out mice lacking one or both ERs were used. RESULTS: As expected, the presence of functional ERs was mandatory for all the effects of E2. Similar to DHT-treatment, estren-treatment resulted in decreased thymus weight, as well as decreased frequency of bone marrow B cells. Treatment with estren or DHT also resulted in a shift in submandibular glands towards an androgen phenotype. All the effects of estren and DHT were independent of ERs. CONCLUSION: Our study is the first to show that estren has similar effects as the androgen DHT on lymphopoiesis in thymus and bone marrow, and on submandibular glands, and that these effects are independent of estrogen receptors. This supports the hypothesis of estren being able to signal through the androgen receptor.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Endokrinologi och diabetes (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Endocrinology and Diabetes (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Immunologi inom det medicinska området (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine -- Immunology in the medical area (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Animals

Bone Marrow/*drug effects/metabolism

Cell Count

Dihydrotestosterone/pharmacology

Estradiol/analogs & derivatives/pharmacology

Estrenes/*pharmacology

Estrogen Receptor Modulators/pharmacology

Female

Lymphoid Tissue/*drug effects/metabolism

Lymphopoiesis/*drug effects

Male

Mice

Mice

Inbred C57BL

Mice

Knockout

Orchiectomy

Organ Specificity

Ovariectomy

Phenotype

Receptors

Androgen/drug effects/physiology

Receptors

Estrogen/deficiency/drug effects/genetics

Sex Characteristics

Submandibular Gland/*drug effects/metabolism

Thymus Gland/*drug effects/metabolism

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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