Anabolic androgenic steroids effects on the immune system: a review

2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik ◽  
Rachel Green ◽  
Ekua Brenu ◽  
Robert Weatherby

AbstractAndrogenic anabolic steroids (AAS) are synthetic derivatives of the male hormone testosterone. AAS are used by athletes and recreational users of all ages to enhance their athletic performance and/or physical appearance. While several adverse effects of AAS abuse have been described, their effect on the immune system has not been clearly elucidated. The literature generally indicates that supraphysiologic doses of AAS with an intact steroid nucleus are immunosuppressive, that is they reduce immune cell number and function. While those with alterations to the steroid nucleus are immunostimulatory as they induce the proliferation of T cells and other immune cells. Specifically, several common AAS have been shown to adversely influence lymphocyte differentiation and proliferation, antibody production, Natural Killer Cytotoxic activity and the production of certain cytokines, thereby altering the immune reaction. These effects may be profound and long lasting depending on the dosing regime, types or combinations of AAS used and the extent and duration of AAS abuse. Nevertheless, the effects of long term use of supraphysiologic doses of AAS on the immune system remain uncertain.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Newsholme

AbstractVarious nutrients can change cell structure, cellular metabolism, and cell function which is particularly important for cells of the immune system as nutrient availability is associated with the activation and function of diverse immune subsets. The most important nutrients for immune cell function and fate appear to be glucose, amino acids, fatty acids, and vitamin D. This perspective will describe recently published information describing the mechanism of action of prominent nutritional intervention agents where evidence exists as to their action and potency.


2001 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 224-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A Sader ◽  
Kaye A Griffiths ◽  
Robyn J McCredie ◽  
David J Handelsman ◽  
David S Celermajer

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 302-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Curran ◽  
Maelle Mairesse ◽  
Alba Matas-Céspedes ◽  
Bethany Bareham ◽  
Giovanni Pellegrini ◽  
...  

Significant advances in immunotherapies have resulted in the increasing need of predictive preclinical models to improve immunotherapeutic drug development, treatment combination, and to prevent or minimize toxicity in clinical trials. Immunodeficient mice reconstituted with human immune system (HIS), termed humanized mice or HIS mice, permit detailed analysis of human immune biology, development, and function. Although this model constitutes a great translational model, some aspects need to be improved as the incomplete engraftment of immune cells, graft versus host disease and the lack of human cytokines and growth factors. In this review, we discuss current HIS platforms, their pathology, and recent advances in their development to improve the quality of human immune cell reconstitution. We also highlight new technologies that can be used to better understand these models and how improved characterization is needed for their application in immuno-oncology safety, efficacy, and new modalities therapy development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 401 (8) ◽  
pp. 933-943 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen L. Nutt ◽  
Christine Keenan ◽  
Michaël Chopin ◽  
Rhys S. Allan

AbstractThe polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) consists of three core components EZH2, SUZ12 and EED. EZH2 catalyzes the methylation of lysine 27 of histone H3, a modification associated with gene silencing. Through gene duplication higher vertebrate genomes also encode a second partially redundant methyltransferase, EZH1. Within the mammalian immune system most research has concentrated on EZH2 which is expressed predominantly in proliferating cells. EZH2 and other PRC2 components are required for hematopoietic stem cell function and lymphocyte development, at least in part by repressing cell cycle inhibitors. At later stages of immune cell differentiation, EZH2 plays essential roles in humoral and cell-mediated adaptive immunity, as well as the maintenance of immune homeostasis. EZH2 is often overactive in cancers, through both gain-of-function mutations and over-expression, an observation that has led to the development and clinical testing of specific EZH2 inhibitors. Such inhibitors may also be of use in inflammatory and autoimmune settings, as EZH2 inhibition dampens the immune response. Here, we will review the current state of understanding of the roles for EZH2, and PRC2 more generally, in the development and function of the immune system.


2015 ◽  
Vol 64 (11) ◽  
pp. 1429-1435 ◽  
Author(s):  
James L. Gulley ◽  
Jennifer Marté ◽  
Christopher R. Heery ◽  
Ravi A. Madan ◽  
Seth M. Steinberg ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Traba ◽  
Michael N. Sack ◽  
Thomas A. Waldmann ◽  
Olga M. Anton

Constitutive activity of the immune surveillance system detects and kills cancerous cells, although many cancers have developed strategies to avoid detection and to resist their destruction. Cancer immunotherapy entails the manipulation of components of the endogenous immune system as targeted approaches to control and destroy cancer cells. Since one of the major limitations for the antitumor activity of immune cells is the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), boosting the immune system to overcome the inhibition provided by the TME is a critical component of oncotherapeutics. In this article, we discuss the main effects of the TME on the metabolism and function of immune cells, and review emerging strategies to potentiate immune cell metabolism to promote antitumor effects either as monotherapeutics or in combination with conventional chemotherapy to optimize cancer management.


1968 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Linèt ◽  
V. Bumba

ABSTRACT Adult male rats were administered 19-nortestosterone phenylpropionate (NTPP), methandrostenolone (MA) (2 mg/100 g/day), cortisol (1 mg/100 g/day) and a combination of these steroids for 10 consecutive days. Cortisol caused a decrease in the adrenal weight on the 5th day and this effect was partially inhibited by NTPP or MA on the 8th and 11th day. The adrenal cholesterol content fell after NTPP on the 5th, 8th and 11th day, after cortisol treatment on the 8th and 11th day, and after MA on the 11th day. The cholesterol depleting effect of cortisol was counteracted only by simultaneous treatment with NTPP on the 11th day. The decrease in wet and dry weight of adrenals and of their nitrogen and protein content induced by the injection of cortisol for 10-days was markedly inhibited by the simultaneous administration of NTPP or MA. Neither of these anabolic-androgenic steroids affected the enhanced water retention in the adrenals caused by cortisol. NTPP or MA alone did not influence the parameters mentioned above.


2010 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppina Bonanno ◽  
Annabella Procoli ◽  
Andrea Mariotti ◽  
Maria Corallo ◽  
Alessandro Perillo ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Prahl ◽  
Pamela Odorizzi ◽  
David Gingrich ◽  
Mary Muhindo ◽  
Tara McIntyre ◽  
...  

AbstractThe use of pesticides to reduce mosquito vector populations is a cornerstone of global malaria control efforts, but the biological impact of most pesticides on human populations, including pregnant women and infants, is not known. Some pesticides, including carbamates, have been shown to perturb the human immune system. We measure the systemic absorption and immunologic effects of bendiocarb, a commonly used carbamate pesticide, following household spraying in a cohort of pregnant Ugandan women and their infants. We find that bendiocarb is present at high levels in maternal, umbilical cord, and infant plasma of individuals exposed during pregnancy, indicating that it is systemically absorbed and trans-placentally transferred to the fetus. Moreover, bendiocarb exposure is associated with numerous changes in fetal immune cell homeostasis and function, including a dose-dependent decrease in regulatory CD4 T cells, increased cytokine production, and inhibition of antigen-driven proliferation. Additionally, prenatal bendiocarb exposure is associated with higher post-vaccination measles titers at one year of age, suggesting that its impact on functional immunity may persist for many months after birth. These data indicate that in utero bendiocarb exposure has multiple previously unrecognized biological effects on the fetal immune system.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1374
Author(s):  
Jahnavi Aluri ◽  
Megan A. Cooper ◽  
Laura G. Schuettpelz

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are pattern recognition receptors that play a central role in the development and function of the immune system. TLR signaling promotes the earliest emergence of hematopoietic cells during development, and thereafter influences the fate and function of both primitive and effector immune cell types. Aberrant TLR signaling is associated with hematopoietic and immune system dysfunction, and both loss- and gain-of- function variants in TLR signaling-associated genes have been linked to specific infection susceptibilities and immune defects. Herein, we will review the role of TLR signaling in immune system development and the growing number of heritable defects in TLR signaling that lead to inborn errors of immunity.


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