Open AccessAn overview of sex hormones in relation to SARS-CoV-2 infection
Author(s) -
Marzieh Saei Ghare Naz,
Mojdeh Banaei,
Sareh Dashti,
Fahimeh Ramezani Tehrani
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
future virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.462
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1746-0808
pISSN - 1746-0794
DOI - 10.2217/fvl-2021-0058
Subject(s) - immune system , hormone , estrogen , covid-19 , testosterone (patch) , physiology , medicine , menopause , pregnancy , sex hormone binding globulin , androgen , bioinformatics , biology , immunology , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , genetics
Aim: Sex differences in COVID-19 outcomes might be explained from a sex hormones (SexHs) perspective. Materials & methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE and Google Scholar were searched up to March 2021. Results: Based on the literature review, the crosstalk between SexHs (estrogens, progesterone and testosterone), their receptors (estrogen α and β, androgen, and progesterone) and the immune system shaped the sex-related differences in immune responses against COVID-19. Differential production of SexHs over the lifespan (during pregnancy, reproductive years, menopause and andropause) and over different seasons may result in disparities in body response toward COVID-19. Moreover, SexHs-specific differences might affect vaccine efficacy and response to treatment. Conclusion: The roles of SexHs need to be considered in vaccine development and even treatment of COVID-19.