Influence of testosterone in neglected tropical diseases: Clinical aspects in leprosy and in vitro experiments in Leishmaniasis

Neglected tropical diseases encompass a group of chronic and debilitating infectious diseases that primarily affect marginalized populations. Among these diseases, leprosy and leishmaniasis are endemic in numerous countries and can result in severe and disfiguring manifestations. Although there have...

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Published in:	Tropical medicine and infectious disease Vol. 8; no. 7; pp. 1 - 10
Main Authors:	de Oliveira Rekowsky, Laís Lima, de Oliveira, Daniela Teles, Cazzaniga, Rodrigo Anselmo, Magalhães, Lucas Sousa, Albuquerque, Lenise Franco, Araujo, Jonnia Maria Sherlock, Tenório, Martha Débora Lira, Machado, Tiziane Cotta, Lipscomb, Michael W., dos Santos, Priscila Lima, Ribeiro de Jesus, Amelia, Bezerra-Santos, Márcio, da Silva, Ricardo Luís Louzada
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Basel, Switzerland MDPI 01-07-2023 MDPI AG
Subjects:	Brief Report Diseases Health aspects Immunological aspects Infectious diseases Leishmania Leishmaniasis Leprosy macrophage suppression neuroendocrine system Parasites Parasitic diseases Physiological effect Protozoa Risk factors Testosterone Tropical diseases Tropical medicine Brazil United States > US leprosy leishmania testosterone macrophage suppression neuroendocrine system
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Summary:	Neglected tropical diseases encompass a group of chronic and debilitating infectious diseases that primarily affect marginalized populations. Among these diseases, leprosy and leishmaniasis are endemic in numerous countries and can result in severe and disfiguring manifestations. Although there have been reports indicating a higher incidence of leprosy and leishmaniasis in males, the underlying factors contributing to this observation remain unclear. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine both clinical and experimental evidence regarding the role of testosterone in leprosy and leishmaniasis. A prospective clinical study was conducted to compare the clinical forms of leprosy and assess circulating testosterone levels. Additionally, the impact of testosterone on 'Leishmania amazonensis'-infected macrophages was evaluated in vitro. The findings demonstrated that serum testosterone levels were higher in women with leprosy than in the control group, irrespective of the multi- or pauci-bacillary form of the disease. However, no differences in testosterone levels were observed in men when comparing leprosy patients and controls. Interestingly, increasing doses of testosterone in macrophages infected with 'L. amazonensis' resulted in a higher proportion of infected cells, decreased CD40 expression on the cell surface, elevated expression of SOCS1, and decreased expression of IRF5. These findings provide biological evidence to support the influence of testosterone on intracellular infections, though the interpretation of clinical evidence remains limited.
Bibliography:	Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, Vol. 8, No. 7, Jul 2023, 1-10 Informit, Melbourne (Vic) ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 These authors contributed equally to this work.
ISSN:	2414-6366 2414-6366
DOI:	10.3390/tropicalmed8070357