The modulation of social behavior and empathy via oral contraceptives and female sex hormones

ABSTRACT CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: The relationship between sex hormones and asthma has been evaluated in several studies. The aim of this review article was to investigate the association between asthma and female sex hormones, under different conditions (premenstrual asthma, use of oral contraceptives, menopause, hormone replacement therapy and pregnancy). DESIGN AND SETTING: Narrative review of the medical literature, Universidade Federal do Tocantins (UFT) and Universidade Federal de São Paulo (Unifesp). METHODS: We searched the CAPES journal portal, a Brazilian platform that provides access to articles in the MEDLINE, PubMed, SciELO, and LILACS databases. The following keywords were used based on Medical Subject Headings: asthma, sex hormones, women and use of oral contraceptives. RESULTS: The associations between sex hormones and asthma remain obscure. In adults, asthma is more common in women than in men. In addition, mortality due to asthma is significantly higher among females. The immune system is influenced by sex hormones: either because progesterone stimulates progesterone-induced blocking factor and Th2 cytokines or because contraceptives derived from progesterone and estrogen stimulate the transcription factor GATA-3. CONCLUSIONS: The associations between asthma and female sex hormones remain obscure. We speculate that estrogen fluctuations are responsible for asthma exacerbations that occur in women. Because of the anti-inflammatory action of estrogen, it decreases TNF-α production, interferon-γ expression and NK cell activity. We suggest that further studies that highlight the underlying physiopathological mechanisms contributing towards these interactions should be conducted.

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Beneficial and Deleterious Effects of Female Sex Hormones, Oral Contraceptives, and Phytoestrogens by Immunomodulation on the Liver

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms20194694 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (19) ◽

pp. 4694

Author(s):

Luis E. Soria-Jasso ◽

Raquel Cariño-Cortés ◽

Víctor Manuel Muñoz-Pérez ◽

Elizabeth Pérez-Hernández ◽

Nury Pérez-Hernández ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sex Hormones ◽

Oral Contraceptives ◽

Endocrine System ◽

Sexually Dimorphic ◽

Systemic Immune Response ◽

Physiological Importance ◽

Female Sex ◽

Female Sex Hormones ◽

Liver Functions ◽

Health And Disease

The liver is considered the laboratory of the human body because of its many metabolic processes. It accomplishes diverse activities as a mixed gland and is in continuous cross-talk with the endocrine system. Not only do hormones from the gastrointestinal tract that participate in digestion regulate the liver functions, but the sex hormones also exert a strong influence on this sexually dimorphic organ, via their receptors expressed in liver, in both health and disease. Besides, the liver modifies the actions of sex hormones through their metabolism and transport proteins. Given the anatomical position and physiological importance of liver, this organ is evidenced as an immune vigilante that mediates the systemic immune response, and, in turn, the immune system regulates the hepatic functions. Such feedback is performed by cytokines. Pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines are strongly involved in hepatic homeostasis and in pathological states; indeed, female sex hormones, oral contraceptives, and phytoestrogens have immunomodulatory effects in the liver and the whole organism. To analyze the complex and interesting beneficial or deleterious effects of these drugs by their immunomodulatory actions in the liver can provide the basis for either their pharmacological use in therapeutic treatments or to avoid their intake in some diseases.

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P3382 Protective effect of female sex hormones against pulmonary hypertension in Bolivian high altitude natives

European Heart Journal ◽

10.1016/s0195-668x(03)96008-8 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 24 (5) ◽

pp. 650

Author(s):

Y ALLEMANN

Keyword(s):

Pulmonary Hypertension ◽

Protective Effect ◽

High Altitude ◽

Sex Hormones ◽

Female Sex ◽

Female Sex Hormones ◽

High Altitude Natives

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Female Sex Hormones and Epilepsy

The Bangkok Medical Journal ◽

10.31524/bkkmedj.2015.09.013 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 10 (01) ◽

pp. 65-71

Author(s):

Chakorn Chansakul

Keyword(s):

Sex Hormones ◽

Female Sex ◽

Female Sex Hormones

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Effect of Sex, Ovariectomy and Female Sex Hormones on Neutral Cholesterol Ester Hydrolase in Rat Liver

Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes ◽

10.1055/s-0029-1210397 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 84 (06) ◽

pp. 262-270 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

J. Gandarias ◽

M. Lacort ◽

M. Martinez ◽

M. de Nicolas ◽

B. Ochoa

Keyword(s):

Sex Hormones ◽

Rat Liver ◽

Cholesterol Ester ◽

Cholesterol Ester Hydrolase ◽

Female Sex ◽

Ester Hydrolase ◽

Female Sex Hormones

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Further Studies on Skin Melanomas Apparently Dependent on Female Sex Hormones

International Journal of Epidemiology ◽

10.1093/ije/11.2.127 ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 127-131 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

JAH LEE ◽

B E STORER

Keyword(s):

Sex Hormones ◽

Female Sex ◽

Female Sex Hormones

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Female sex hormones protect against salt-sensitive hypertension but not essential hypertension

AJP Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpregu.00061.2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 307 (2) ◽

pp. R149-R157 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Krystal N. Brinson ◽

Olga Rafikova ◽

Jennifer C. Sullivan

Keyword(s):

Protein Expression ◽

Sex Hormones ◽

Serine Residue ◽

Relative Resistance ◽

Salt Diet ◽

Spontaneously Hypertensive ◽

Female Sex ◽

Female Sex Hormones ◽

Oxide Synthase ◽

Salt Sensitive Hypertension

Initial studies found that female Dahl salt-sensitive (DS) rats exhibit greater blood pressure (BP) salt sensitivity than female spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). On the basis of the central role played by NO in sodium excretion and BP control, we further tested the hypothesis that blunted increases in BP in female SHR will be accompanied by greater increases in renal inner medullary nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity and expression in response to a high-salt (HS) diet compared with DS rats. Gonad-intact and ovariectomized (OVX) female SHR and DS rats were placed on normal salt (NS; 0.4% salt) or HS (4% salt) diet for 2 wk. OVX did not alter BP in SHR, and HS diet produced a modest increase in BP. OVX significantly increased BP in DS rats on NS; HS further increased BP in all DS rats, although OVX had a greater increase in BP. Renal inner medullary NOS activity, total NOS3 protein, and NOS3 phosphorylated on serine residue 1177 were not altered by salt or OVX in either strain. NOS1 protein expression, however, significantly increased with HS only in SHR, and this corresponded to an increase in urinary nitrate/nitrite excretion. SHR also exhibit greater NOS1 and NOS3 protein expression than DS rats. These data indicate that female sex hormones offer protection against HS-mediated elevations in BP in DS rats but not SHR. We propose that the relative resistance to HS-mediated increases in BP in SHR is related to greater NOS expression and the ability to increase NOS1 protein expression compared with DS rats.

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