| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
From the Center for Psychobiological and Psychosomatic Research (N.C.S., D.H.H., R.E., C.K.), University of Trier, Trier, Germany; and Institute of Physiological Psychology II (N.R., C.K.), University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Address reprint requests to: Clemens Kirschbaum, PhD, Institute of Physiological Psychology II, University of Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany. Email: ck{at}uni-duesseldorf.de
OBJECTIVE: Men and women show marked differences in susceptibility to disorders related to the immune system. These gender differences have been proposed to be mediated by functional interactions of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axes. A potential mechanism involved in this interaction is the glucocorticoid (GC) sensitivity of relevant target tissues for GC. Therefore, the aim of the study reported here was to investigate the impact of psychosocial stress and HPA axis activation on the GC sensitivity of proinflammatory cytokine production in men and women.
METHODS: A total of 45 healthy subjects were investigated. Eighteen women in the luteal phase of their menstrual cycle and 27 men were exposed to a psychosocial stress test (Trier Social Stress Test). Salivary free cortisol levels were measured repeatedly after exposure to the stressor. GC sensitivity was assessed in vitro by dexamethasone inhibition of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated production of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-
.
RESULTS: The stress test induced significant increases in salivary free cortisol with no significant differences between men and women. In contrast, GC sensitivity and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated cytokine production showed large gender differences. In men GC sensitivity was markedly increased 1 hour after stress, whereas GC sensitivity decreased significantly in women. Similarly, lipopolysaccharide-induced cytokine production decreased in response to stress in men but increased in women.
CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that despite similar free cortisol responses of men and women (studied in the luteal phase) to psychosocial stress, gender may exert differential effects on the immune system by modulating GC sensitivity of proinflammatory cytokine production.
Key Words: psychosocial stress, • HPA axis, • sex differences, • salivary cortisol, • Trier Social Stress Test, • inflammatory disease.
Abbreviations: ANCOVA = analysis of covariance;; ANOVA = analysis of variance;; BMI = body mass index;; DEX = dexamethasone;; EDTA = ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid;; ELISA = enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay;; GC = glucocorticoid;; HPA axis = hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis;; HPG axis = hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis;; IC50 = 50% inhibition concentration;; IL = interleukin;; LPS = lipopolysaccharide;; NF-
B = nuclear factor-B;; TSST = Trier Social Stress Test;; TNF- = tumor necrosis factor .
This article has been cited by other articles:
 |
|
 |
|
  Y. Zhang, D. Y. M. Leung, S. K. Nordeen, and E. Goleva Estrogen Inhibits Glucocorticoid Action via Protein Phosphatase 5 (PP5)-mediated Glucocorticoid Receptor Dephosphorylation J. Biol. Chem., September 4, 2009; 284(36): 24542 - 24552. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 N. Goel and T. L. Bale Organizational and Activational Effects of Testosterone on Masculinization of Female Physiological and Behavioral Stress Responses Endocrinology, December 1, 2008; 149(12): 6399 - 6405. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. Steptoe, K. O'Donnell, E. Badrick, M. Kumari, and M. Marmot Neuroendocrine and Inflammatory Factors Associated with Positive Affect in Healthy Men and Women: The Whitehall II Study Am. J. Epidemiol., January 1, 2008; 167(1): 96 - 102. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 G. L. Hermes, L. Rosenthal, A. Montag, and M. K. McClintock Social isolation and the inflammatory response: sex differences in the enduring effects of a prior stressor Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, February 1, 2006; 290(2): R273 - R282. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 G. E. Miller, N. Rohleder, C. Stetler, and C. Kirschbaum Clinical Depression and Regulation of the Inflammatory Response During Acute Stress Psychosom Med, September 1, 2005; 67(5): 679 - 687. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. M. Gill, S. L. Szanton, and G. G. Page Biological Underpinnings of Health Alterations in Women With PTSD: A Sex Disparity Biol Res Nurs, July 1, 2005; 7(1): 44 - 54. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 P H Wirtz, R von Kanel, N Rohleder, and J E Fischer Monocyte proinflammatory cytokine release is higher and glucocorticoid sensitivity is lower in middle aged men than in women independent of cardiovascular risk factors Heart, August 1, 2004; 90(8): 853 - 858. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. Melamed, A. Shirom, S. Toker, S. Berliner, and I. Shapira Association of Fear of Terror With Low-Grade Inflammation Among Apparently Healthy Employed Adults Psychosom Med, July 1, 2004; 66(4): 484 - 491. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. Lekander, S. Elofsson, I.-M. Neve, L.-O. Hansson, and A.-L. Unden Self-rated Health Is Related to Levels of Circulating Cytokines Psychosom Med, July 1, 2004; 66(4): 559 - 563. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D.-H. Kang, C.-J. Kim, and Y. Suh Sex Differences in Immune Responses and Immune Reactivity to Stress in Adolescents Biol Res Nurs, April 1, 2004; 5(4): 243 - 254. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
P. H. Wirtz, R. von Kanel, P. Schnorpfeil, U. Ehlert, K. Frey, and J. E. Fischer Reduced Glucocorticoid Sensitivity of Monocyte Interleukin-6 Production in Male Industrial Employees who are Vitally Exhausted Psychosom Med, July 1, 2003; 65(4): 672 - 678. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. Steptoe, S. Kunz-Ebrecht, N. Owen, P. J. Feldman, G. Willemsen, C. Kirschbaum, and M. Marmot Socioeconomic Status and Stress-Related Biological Responses Over the Working Day Psychosom Med, May 1, 2003; 65(3): 461 - 470. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. Duclos, C. Gouarne, and D. Bonnemaison Acute and chronic effects of exercise on tissue sensitivity to glucocorticoids J Appl Physiol, March 1, 2003; 94(3): 869 - 875. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 C. L. Coe, M. Kramer, C. Kirschbaum, P. Netter, and E. Fuchs Prenatal Stress Diminishes the Cytokine Response of Leukocytes to Endotoxin Stimulation in Juvenile Rhesus Monkeys J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., February 1, 2002; 87(2): 675 - 681. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
