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Effects of Sex Hormones on Production of Interleukin‐1 by Human Peripheral Monocytes
Author(s) -
Morishita Masayuki,
Miyagi Masaharu,
Iwamoto Yoshifumi
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of periodontology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.036
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1943-3670
pISSN - 0022-3492
DOI - 10.1902/jop.1999.70.7.757
Subject(s) - medicine , hormone , endocrinology , prostaglandin e2 , testosterone (patch) , interleukin , chemistry , monocyte , immunoassay , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , prostaglandin e , prostaglandin , cytokine , in vitro , biology , immunology , antibody , biochemistry
Background: Interleukin‐1 (IL‐1) is a potent mediator of inflammation and is known to induce bone resorption. We studied the effects of sex hormones on the function of human monocytes and demonstrated that prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) production was enhanced by progesterone and estradiol. As PGE 2 has been shown to suppress the production of IL‐1 by monocytes, it was speculated that sex hormones also modify the production of IL‐1 by regulating PGE 2 production. Thus, the effects of sex hormones on the production of IL‐1 from human peripheral monocytes and the influence of PGE 2 were investigated. Methods: Mononuclear leukocytes were obtained from 22 healthy adults. Progesterone, 17‐β estradiol (estradiol), and testosterone were used as representative sex hormones. Monocytes were incubated at 37°C in air with 5% CO 2 for 24 hours in RPMI 1640 medium with sex hormones at the designated concentrations. LPS (Salmonella typhimurium) was used to stimulate the monocytes at a concentration of 10μg/ml. The concentrations of IL‐1α and IL‐1β in the medium were determined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay kits. The concentration of PGE2 was determined using a direct radio‐immunoassay kit. Indomethacin was used to inhibit the synthesis of PGE 2 and eliminate its effect on the production of IL‐1. Results: Estradiol at concentrations of 0.04 ng/ml or more significantly reduced both IL‐1α and IL‐1β production. Progesterone also reduced IL‐1α and IL‐1β production significantly at concentrations of 0.1 ng/ml or more and 0.02 ng/ml or more, respectively. The reductions in IL‐1α and IL‐1β production by sex hormones were not affected by addition of indomethacin. Conclusions: Estradiol and progesterone inhibited the production of IL‐1 from human peripheral monocytes. The inhibition was not the result of enhanced production of PGE 2 . Under conditions in which sex hormone levels are low, monocytes produce IL‐1 more readily in response to stimulation by LPS than high levels of such hormones. Low concentrations of sex hormones may be considered as one of the risk factors for periodontitis. J Periodontol 1999; 70:757‐760.