The effects of estrogen, parathyroid hormone, and testosterone on raw cells

Abstract

Several clinical and experimental studies suggest that gender affects immune responses. In this regard, there have also been observations of an extraordinarily significant female predominance of inflammatory arthritis. The purpose of our study was to investigate the cellular effects of estrogen (E), testosterone (T), and parathyroid hormone (PTH) on macrophage cells over 24, 48, and 72 hours. Cells treated with T caused enhanced cell proliferation after 24 hours, whereas cells treated with E or PTH caused less cellular proliferation after 24 hours. By 72 hours all treatment groups had less cell number than the untreated control. Cell membranes were not damaged by the increased hormone levels as evidenced by similar MDA values for experimental and control groups. Interestingly, nitric oxide levels were increased in the estrogen treated cells after 72 hours compared to the control cells. Cytological evaluation of the cells revealed increased aggregation of cells and swelling of those treated with T. The increase in nitric oxide levels by E indicates activation of macrophages, which may ultimately lead to the production of inflammatory cytokines. More experiments are necessary to address the effects of E on inflammatory cytokine production by macrophage cell types. Supported in part by NIGMS NIH Grant R 25 GM 50117.