The DOI matches its Crossref record; 21 of the 21 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Dehydroepiandrosterone enhances IL2 production and cytotoxic effector function of human T cells.
Open accessAbstract
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is the most abundant adrenal steroid hormone in humans. Although it is well established that DHEA serves as an intermediate in sex steroid synthesis, recent studies in mice suggest that DHEA may also be a physiologic regulator of IL2 secretion. To explore the effect of DHEA on the human immune system, T lymphocytes from healthy adults were exposed to DHEA followed by stimulation with mitogens or antigen. Upon activation with a variety of stimuli, T cells pretreated with 10(-8) to 10(-11) M DHEA produced significantly greater amounts of IL2 and mediated more potent cytotoxicity than T cells activated in the absence of this steroid hormone. The peak effect of DHEA was observed at 10(-9) M, the concentration of hormone present in the blood of normal adults. In contrast to its effect on murine T cells, the IL2 enhancing effect of DHEA on human lymphocytes was limited to fresh CD4+ T cells and CD4+ clones; neither fresh CD8+ cells nor CD8+ clones were directly affected by DHEA treatment, although CD8+ cells stimulated in the presence of CD4+ cells and DHEA demonstrated enhanced cytotoxicity. The enhancing effect of DHEA was also detected at the level of IL2 mRNA, suggesting that DHEA may act as a transcriptional enhancer of the IL2 gene in CD4+ T cells. These results corroborate and extend earlier studies in mice and suggest a physiologic role for DHEA in regulating the human immune response.
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“DHEA has been shown to have immunomodulatory effects in vitro (313) and in vivo in fungal and viral diseases (314), including HIV (315), and a stimulatory effect of DHEA on the immune system has been described in postmenopausal women (316).”
From Endocrine and intracrine sources of androgens in women: inhibition of breast cancer and other roles of androgens and their precursor dehydroepiandrosterone (2003) · cites this paper as [313]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Suzuki, T., Suzuki, N., Daynes, R. A., & Engleman, E. G.
- Affiliations
- Stanford Medicine (US)
- University of Utah (US)
- Corresponding author
- Engleman, Edgar G.
- Venue
- Clinical Immunology and Immunopathology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1991-11
- Volume
- 61
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 202-211
- ISSN
- 0090-1229 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1980941499
- Cited by
- 277
- References
- 21
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 2.79
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Clinical Immunology and Immunopathology (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (5u01ai025922-05)
- National Cancer Institute (CA-24607)
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (AI25922)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › T-cell and B-cell Immunology
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Adrenal Hormones and Disorders
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Endocrinology › Estrogen and related hormone effects
- Keywords
- dehydroepiandrosterone, interleukin-2, T cell activation, cytotoxic T lymphocytes, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, steroid hormones, T cell cytotoxicity
- MeSH terms
- Cells, Cultured, Dehydroepiandrosterone, Humans, Interleukin-2, RNA, Messenger, T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic, CD4 Antigens, Interleukin-4, CD8 Antigens
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